Pen up stray dogs across India

In 2004, after a dinner near home, I sent back the driver and decided to walk back. I saw a pack of dogs and was lucky to reach the house safely. From then on, I avoided walking at night and started taking a vehicle even for short distances.

After a decade, when I became the Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh, a a boy was mauled by a pack of dogs in Guntur district. It was not just an isolated incident but such things were happening at regular intervals in different parts of the state though may not be equally gruesome . As the chief secretary I took it up as a focus programme of the government to pen street dogs as much as we can and also large scale sterilization program for them. Simultaneously clean up operations around the the meat shops and other areas was also focussed on. Unfortunately unless it is a political program to which the government in power is committed an initiative of an officer in a system normally dies with him. Same thing happened to this programme to contain the street dog menace at that time as well.

When recently supreme court took the initiative to order the New Delhi government to ensure all the stray dogs in that area have to be penned with in specific time frame I felt happy and also sad at the same time. Happy because a major civic problem which is going unnoticed the highest court of the country has recognised and ordered the executive to act. Something like the way CNG replaced petroleum products in the New Delhi area through a supreme court order. Felt sad because essentially civic issue which should have been addressed by the local authorities long time back has to wait for the supreme court to give an order to act .

As expected elites of the country who never had an occasion to take the footpath and face the attack of dogs have started criticizing this supreme court order in terms of love and consideration for the animals and the intensity of this outcry has been so strong unfortunately supreme court has decided to review its order. Those who do not take the Mumbai metro call for arey forest conservation and those who never have a need to take to the foot path do not want penning of stray dogs .elites have a lobby and voice .common people do not have the luxury of leisure to agitate.I have seen on social media a post suggesting that for rabies there is a cure and for fear of rabies the stray dogs need not be penned . It is not just rabies that’s the problem from stray dogs. People getting into an accident having been chased by the dogs and small children being mauled by dogs is not uncommon.

Granted the two months deadline set by the supreme court may not be practical. But there is always opportunity for the executive to go and explain to the supreme court and get a more realistic time frame to implement the order . What is actually required is not an order specific to New Delhi metropolitan area but something that covers the whole country.

Some are suggesting sterilization as an alternative. Sterilization of the stray dogs if done properly and completely will benefit next generation not the present . The only way you can save the present generation from stray dog attacks is only by penning them .

That gets us to the most important question since this is essentially a local authority issue do the local bodies have enough funds to deal with such a massive problem. I am afraid they are not. They are not even able to provide the basic necessities of water, proper roads etc and to expect them to foot the bill of penning of so many stray dogs would be unrealistic. Hence the need for Central and state governments to intervene.A Proper plan initiated at the national level with funding can give a solution to the problem. Earlier finance commissions used to provide for activity specific grants which was discontinued by the subsequent finance commissions. May be the present finance commission can consider starting such a activity specific grant for this purpose.

Stray dog menace is a major civic problem is undisputed. It also needs a mission mode approach to find a solution. What is lacking is necessary political will and recognising it as a major National problem to be addressed.