New Delhi [India]: The Delhi High Court issued notice to the Central government and its authorities on seeking direction for anti-rabies vaccination, birth control of animals and supervision of animals’ health and public safety in accordance with Supreme Court direction passed earlier.
The Bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad on Thursday sought a response from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and other authorities while posting the matter for November 9, 2022, for a detailed hearing. The petitioner Sangeeta Dogra, a wildlife activist alleged that AWBI has wilfully and deliberately failed to study the dog population and relevant anthropological aspects that serves to establish background information for the planning and the implementation of Dog Population management schemes and/or of control of zoonotic diseases transmitted between humans and dogs.
The plea further stated that AWBI’s claims of establishing the State Animal Welfare Board don’t go very well without the data which is required for the implementation of the programs, in terms of cost and benefit estimate, the information needed for making plans for, and judging the feasibility of, particular control operations a questionnaire survey, medical and surgical supply.
It also alleges that AWBI has failed to control measures consisting of the application of Drugs or vaccines or of surgical sterilization, treated individuals being visually marked or data maintained.
AWBI despite having 3000+ NGOs and their representatives has failed to innovate parameters and techniques for Dog Abundance, Dog Population Structure, Rate of Reproduction, Dog keeping Practice and useful service renders of Habitat Structure of Dogs near Human Population, owned dogs population, reasons for keeping dogs, Dog keeping practice, health disease mortality rates.
The plea also seeks issuance of directions be passed to AWBI to issue directions to NGOs recognized by them to create a dog population database Street to Street and Registration of Dogs with local/Civic bodies.
The plea also seeks direction from the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) to conduct a Special Audit of Funds sanctioned as grants and tender issued to NGOs/State Animal Welfare Board(s) for the Animal Birth Control and Anti Rabies Vaccination program sanctioned to AWBI and its 3000+ NGOs from 2009-2022.
