THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The controversy over the city corporation’s stray dog management programme has intensified, with animal welfare organisation People For Animals (PFA) approaching the LSG Department seeking an inquiry into the alleged lack of transparency in the capture and housing of stray dogs.
PFA has announced a protest in front of the corporation office on Friday demanding transparency in the stray dog management programme. The organisation has also decided to approach the High Court.
In a representation submitted to the principal director of LSGD, PFA alleged that dogs are being picked up from public places and transported at night in unmarked outsourced vehicles to undisclosed locations.
The organisation has sought details of the shelters, permission to inspect the facilities and an inquiry into whether the operations comply with the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023.
PFA secretary Latha Indira alleged that the corporation’s actions violate ABC guidelines, which mandate that sterilised and vaccinated community dogs captured from public spaces should be released back to their original locations.
The organisation claimed that despite an ongoing large-scale capture drive, there is no publicly available information about the shelters where the dogs are being kept.
Latha Indira said the organisation approached Mayor V V Rajesh after receiving no response to letters and a Right to Information application seeking details. She accused the mayor of behaving aggressively and refused to answer questions about the whereabouts of stray dogs being relocated by the civic body.
According to PFA, several residents have reported that sterilised, vaccinated and community-fed dogs from their neighbourhoods have gone missing following the corporation’s capture drive.
The organisation claimed that some of these animals include dogs under medical care, including a blind dog and another requiring regular medication.
“We submitted complaints to the collector and will be meeting the LSGD minister and animal husbandry minister,” said Latha Indira.
Mayor rejects charges
Responding to the allegations, the mayor said the corporation was implementing its election promise to establish shelters for stray dogs and maintained that all procedures were being followed as per law.
“We had announced before the elections that we would shelter stray dogs. People voted for us on that promise, and we are implementing it,” he said.
On PFA’s demand for details of the shelters, the mayor said the corporation was answerable to the government and courts. “We are accountable to the government and the courts. We will provide details if they demand. Every dog brought by us is safe.
Dogs are shifted to shelters only after sterilisation, vaccination and the mandatory post-operative observation period,” he said. He alleged that the corporation has requested many NGOs including PFA to shelter captured dogs and they never came forward. “Instead of protesting they should come forward and support us by sheltering dogs,” he added.
Allegations
PFA says dogs are being picked up from public places and transported at night in unmarked outsourced vehicles to undisclosed locations
Seeks details of the shelters, permission to inspect the facilities and an inquiry into whether the operations comply with the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023.
