BHUBANESWAR: The ongoing drive to capture and relocate street dogs in the state capital for Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) is a violation of Supreme Court guidelines and will result in more dog bite cases, alleged People for Animals (PFA) on Thursday.
The state chapter of the animal welfare organisation has sought immediate intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and the Housing and Urban Development department to halt the drive.
PFA Odisha secretary Jiban Ballav Das alleged that ahead of the PBD conclave, the BMC has launched a mass relocation of community dogs in which the canines are being lifted from one location and dropped in another place. “Dogs are territorial animals. Shifting them from their own places causes territorial fights and makes them more aggressive. This results in attacks on humans and a rise in dog bite cases,” Das said.
The relocation also contravenes the animal protection laws and verdict of the Supreme Court and violates BNS 325 and section 11 of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, he said.
“While the number of dog bite cases in the city had increased to around 120 a month at a point of time, this exercise may aggravate the situation further,” Das said.
The PFA Odisha members demanded the dogs lifted for sterilisation under animal birth control drive must be released at the same place. Besides, they also demanded that more dogs should be sterilised and appropriate care should be given to them at such facilities.
Mayor Sulochana Das, however, refuted the allegations and said neither they are carrying out any drive to relocate street dogs ahead of PBD convention, nor there is any such direction from the government.
The lifting of dogs from streets to the canine shelters at present is because of the grievances we are receiving from different areas. In a recent case, a canine was lifted from VSS Nagar area of ward no 11, where people alleged that the dog had attacked at least 10 persons, the mayor said.