Maneka Gandhi on Supreme Court order on stray dogs: ‘Judgment by someone who is angry’

MANEKA Gandhi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and noted animal rights activist, called the Supreme Court’s order on stray dogs in Delhi-NCR a “very strange judgment”, coming from someone who “is in anger”.

On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled to make all localities free of stray dogs. The apex court also directed states and municipal authorities to create dog shelters with sufficient staff to sterilise and immunise them.

“It is not a doable order... This is a very strange judgment given by someone who is in anger. Angry judgments are never sensible,” Maneka Gandhi was quoted as saying by ANI.

Maneka Gandhi also highlighted that there is no government-run dog shelter in Delhi where the stray dogs could be kept. “There is no single government-run shelter in Delhi. In how many shelters would you put 3 lakh dogs? You don't even have one.”

She also warned of massive logistical, financial and social challenges, the need for thousands of new facilities, and the potential for street clashes between authorities and dog feeders.

“To make those shelters, you have to spend at least ₹15 thousand crore. You'll have to find 3000 places for shelters in places where no one lives. How will you find these many places?. This can't be done in two months... You'll have to employ 1.5 lakh people to just be sanitation workers, which will again cost crores. Firstly, when they go to get the dogs, there will be fighting in every street because feeders are not going to let the dogs go. Every day, there will be fights. Do we want this destabilisation situation? Other political parties will get into it to attack the BJP.”

The senior BJP leader also said that more dogs from the nearby states will be brought into Delhi, doubling the number of dogs in the capital city.

“When the dogs from here are displaced, dogs from nearby states will come to Delhi, as there will be more food here. Then, within a week, there will be another 3 lakh dogs in Delhi, and these will not be sterilised. Then will you start another sterilisation programme and spend hundreds of crores again?” she asked.