THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Intensifying its campaign against Thiruvananthapuram corporation’s stray dog management programme, People For Animals (PFA) on Friday staged a protest in front of the corporation office, demanding the civic body disclose the locations of shelters where captured stray dogs are being housed.
Alleging a lack of transparency, the animal welfare organisation accused the BJP-led corporation of operating undisclosed shelters and refusing to reveal the whereabouts of dogs picked up under its ongoing capture programme. Around 60 people, including animal lovers, dog feeders and volunteers, participated in the demonstration.
PFA secretary Latha Indira said the organisation had submitted complaints to various government authorities, including the local self-government department, but had not received any response so far.
“We have repeatedly asked the corporation to disclose where the dogs are being kept. If the dogs are safe, there is no reason why the shelters cannot be shown to the public or the animal welfare organisation. Instead, the corporation maintains that it is answerable only to the government or the courts,” she said.
According to Latha, the organisation believes the sheltering programme is being carried out without adequate transparency and in violation of prescribed procedures.
“We have exhausted all available avenues. If the authorities fail to act on our complaints, we will be left with no option but to approach the High Court,” she said.
The protest comes amid the corporation’s desperate efforts to expand its sheltering programme as part of its intensified stray dog management drive. An official with the corporation said the civic body is currently operating through multiple shelters to house dogs removed from institutions and other locations requiring intervention.
The corporation has also invited private individuals and organisations to establish dog shelters, but the initiative has seen limited progress due to the absence of a clear regulatory framework.
“There are people willing to start dog shelters, but there is no clarity on either approval process or licensing mechanism. The government needs to issue comprehensive guidelines so that such facilities can be established legally,” the official said.
The official said the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has issued standard operating procedures (SOPs) for shelters, but the state is yet to evolve a well-defined mechanism for licensing and regulating such facilities.
Officials also said there are no uniform state norms governing infrastructure and operational standards for dog shelters, creating uncertainty for both local bodies and private agencies interested in partnering with local self government institutions.
“The government should come up with comprehensive guidelines on shelter licensing, infrastructure standards and operational procedures. Else it will be difficult for the local bodies to implement the SC directives,” the official added.
