HC converts letter on stray dog menace into writ petition

HC converts letter on stray dog menace into writ petition
Rajiv Sharma

MUMBAI, AUG 29: The issue of stray dogs' menace in Mumbai has once again come to the fore with the Bombay High Court taking suo moto note of a letter published in a newspaper and converting it into a writ petition. The HC has issued notices to the municipal corporation, the state government and the Centre in the matter.

The petition is likely to come up for hearing on Wednesday in the court of Chief Justice B P Singh. This appears to be the last chance for those affected by the dog menace to state their case.

The BMC discontinued its policy of killing stray dogs in 1994. The same year, the animal birth control programme was launched, in which non-governmental organisations were allowed to catch stray dogs and sterilise them. This was in keeping with the idea of preventing cruelty to animals and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation allowed these organisations to use free electricity, water supply, dog vaccines and other facilities to carry out the programme.

However, during the tenure of Mayor-in-Council, it was decided that this programme was a total failure and in 1998 it was decided that BMC should revert to its earlier method of killing the dogs, whose number had been growing despite the sterilisation programme. However, the NGOs involved in the programme moved court, and surprisingly, a public health official Dr J G Thanekar agreed in court that the animal birth programme would be allowed to continue, sources said.

According to Dr K S Pillai, assistant health officer in BMC's public health department, the sterilisation programme has in the last two years hardly had any impact on the population of strays dogs, which is reported to be between four and five lakh in the city. It is estimated that about 5,000 dogs are sterilised every year at the three centres of Mahalaxmi, Malad and Deonar and set free again in the same area. But these dogs become a nuisance to citizens, and about 72,000 cases of dog bites are reported in a year, he said. Particularly vulnerable to dog bites are young children playing in housing colonies and working people who return home late in the night, he noted.

Medical sources said all cases of dog bites have to be given anti-rabies injection. Though it is now possible to take only six painless injections costing Rs 300 each, for the poor it is still the 14 painful injections around the umbilicus. These cost Rs 10 each, sources said. Despite all these facilities, around 60 deaths due to rabies are reported every year.

Interestingly, the public health department had received a letter from the HC sometime ago which had mentioned that continuous barking of dogs near the residences of some judges at Napean Sea Road had disturbed them. But the officials replied their hands were tied since it was the court itself which had ordered that the dogs should be set free in their same habitat and not relocated, sources said.

According to Nirmal Asrani of Bandra Residents Association, the number of stray dogs in his area is very high and most affected are young children who play in the evening. These dogs are dangerous since they might be suffering from rabies, he pointed out. Therefore, this is a chance for the various organsiations to come and represent themselves in this matter so that a proper decision is taken, he said. ``If the present programme is allowed to continue for some more time, the stray dog population will go beyond control,'' he felt.