BENGALURU: The newly-established Bengaluru North City Corporation (BNCC) dog shelter is in the eye of a storm again. Activists and community feeders within corporation limits have reported that dogs are allegedly being caught from residential neighbourhoods and dumped in the shelter, violating the Supreme Court direction that limits municipal authorities from picking up stray dogs only from institutions like hospitals and educational campuses.
A few days earlier, the shelter was found to have dumped dogs’ fecal matter into a septic tank, violating norms set by the Supreme Court, Animal Welfare Board of India and Karnataka State Pollution Control Board. The shelter, which was built at a cost of roughly Rs 1.8 crore, has a maximum occupancy limit of 500 dogs.
“They have been allowing dogs to be picked up from anywhere and be dumped in the shelter, because the agency assigned for pickup duties is monetarily incentivised to fill up the shelter. The personnel at the shelter do not allow us to ask about the dogs’ origins,” said Sadhana Hegde, founder of Sahavarthin Animal Welfare Trust.
According to Hegde, welfare workers are in the dark about the dogs’ health as well; when volunteers went to check on the dogs’ condition following a recent heavy downpour in the city, they were allegedly prohibited from inquiring. On Tuesday, workers managed to gain access inside the compound, only to find the dogs severely malnourished, revealing their exoskeletons prominently through their skins.
BNCC chief veterinary officer Dr HK Gangadharaiah dismissed claims of dogs being picked up from residential neighbourhoods, adding that he was not authorised to admit feeders into the shelter compound, and interested feeders should communicate with the assigned agency. “We have not authorised the agency working for us to pick up dogs from any neighbourhood; it is part of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by the two parties,” he said.
Dr Gangadharaiah also said work was under way at the dog shelter to repair the fencing layout, the quality of which had been pointed out by Hegde and other activists during the construction of the shelter. “Repair work is ongoing at the shelter, due to which we are currently not accepting stray dogs. The work should be finished within a couple of days,” Dr Gangadharaiah said.
