NEW DELHI: After facing a huge backlash over the removal of stray animals ahead of the G20 summit, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Monday said that the dogs were picked up for sterilization/immunization/observation and were now being released in their respective locations.
It said that the entire process is being carried out in consonance with the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 which it is bound with and was conscious of.
It further informed that the MCD’s action of picking the dogs was agitated and challenged before the Delhi High Court on Monday. “That in the said matter, High Court, without allowing any indulgence/ without even issuing notice, disposed of the writ petition with the directions that MCD shall conduct itself as per ABC Rules, 2023, which MCD was even otherwise bound with,” it said.
The civic agency had faced huge criticism after reports surfaced that monkeys, dogs and other stray animals had been removed from the streets of the national capital in the run-up to the G20 Summit.
The animal activists had claimed that almost 1,000 dogs were rounded up by the civic body from prominent areas like airports and the main venue for the summit.
However, the MCD did not admit that the move was linked to the summit, only saying that the stray dogs were picked up ‘only on an urgent basis’, as reported by some media organisations. It was also reported that ambulances and vehicles that were used to catch the strays had ‘On Duty G20’ boards on display. Last month, the MCD issued an order for the removal of stray dogs from places close to important locations in view of the G20 Summit.
The notification was withdrawn within a couple of days following a backlash. However, many animal activists claimed that stray dogs had been captured in an inhumane manner, without following the required guidelines. A group of animal rights activists had also met Delhi mayor Shelly Oberio and submitted a memorandum against the same.
‘Removed for G20 summit’
The animal activists had claimed that almost 1,000 dogs were rounded up by the civic body from prominent areas like airports and the main venue for the summit.