GHMC: Cannot House all Stray Dogs in Shelter

Hyderabad: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation on Wednesday submitted to the Telangana High Court that it is continuously working to eradicate incidents of dog attacks on humans and claimed itself as the country`s best civic authority in implementing the rules to reduce the dog–human conflict. Further, it claimed that no city in the country is implementing the rules that wat it is.

GHMC commissioner Amrapali Kata submitted a detailed additional counter-affidavit before the High Court explaining how the GHMC is equipped with infrastructure like details of dog kennels , cages, dog-catching vans, sterilisation centres and and so on for birth control of dogs.

However, she also submitted to the court that it is not practically possible for the GHMC to house all street dogs or shift all of them to shelter homes or rehabilitation centres due to the economic constraints. Besides, she said the civic body has to face allegations by NGOs of charges of cruelty against animals.

Amrapali estimated that around Rs 5-10 crore expenditure will be incurred to establish a shelter home to house around 1,000 dogs and it around Rs 30 lakh would be incurred per month for maintenance.

Further, she also submitted that the relocation of dogs was not possible.

The GHMC filed the affidavit by following the earlier court orders in the suo motu PIL and petitions over the increasing incidents of human–dog conflict and violation of Animal Welfare Rules.

On earlier occasion, the High Court had directed the GHMC to apprise the status of statutory obligations under the Animal Birth Control Rules and updates of the steps initiated in regard to the report submitted by the GHMC based on the experts committee. The court also had directed the GHMC to apprise the feasibility of dog rehabilitation centres outside GHMC limits.

After perusing the affidavit, the court gave two weeks time to the petitioners in the PIL and writ, to submit their objections on the GHMC`s contention.