Suggestion of House Committee of Delhi Government

• The Municipal Corporations of Delhi, NDMC and DCB (Delhi Cantonment Board) should immediately frame a proper SOP detailing point wise action for eradication of menace of stray dogs.
• Street dogs are to be sterilized, vaccinated and subsequently released into the same area from where they were captured.
• The existing legal provision, according to Clause 6 of the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001 (ABC Rules) issued by the Animal Welfare Board of India, states, “ The dogs will be sterilized/vaccinated under the supervision of the veterinarians of the hospital run by the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), Animal Welfare Organization or other dog shelters. After necessary period of follow up, the dogs shall be released at the same place or locality from where they were captured.”

Serious steps need to be taken in accordance to this clause approved by the Animal Welfare Board of India.

• A monthly inspection of all the dog sterilization centres need to be undertaken.
• Use of educational institutions, elected public representatives, community leaders, welfare associations, print media and banners/hoardings for spreading awareness regarding rabies and immunization programmes.
• Rabies should be declared a ‘Notifiable Disease’
• Formation of Anti-Rabies Vaccination Team, two teams for each Municipal Zone, comprising of 7 persons with an aim to cover the entire estimated stray dog population annually for next 5 years.
• Issuance of allotment of separate Budget for making Delhi Rabies Free.
• Need to upgrade the manufacturing plants of Anti-Rabies Vaccine injections as per WHO norms. This process would require 2 years.
• Anti-Rabies Vaccine may also be imported from Tamil Nadu’s Medical Supply Corporation to mitigate the prevalent shortage of this vaccine in Delhi.
• Government should ban export of Anti-Rabies vaccine outside India keeping in mind its shortfall inside the country.
• Need to develop a dedicated space where the process of sterilization/immunization of stray dogs can be performed by the staff/officials of the three Municipal Corporations of Delhi and the NDMC.
• Need to develop innovative methods of dog sterilization: for example, catching stray dogs with multiple mobile units, use of innovative male contraceptive drug (called Reversible Inhibition of Sperm under Guidance) by ICMR, etc. Animal Welfare Board may be requested to promote research in this direction.
• Stray dogs or any other animals which endangers human lives should be moved out immediately to places far away from human habitation to the forest areas.
• Entry of parks should be designed in such a way that no stray dog can enter inside it.
• Better monitoring of sterilization procedures should be undertaken.
• Utilization by the Municipalities of expertise of their respective veterinary doctors/officials to control the menace of stray dogs more effectively.
• Municipalities may make arrangements for dog shelters where captured stray dogs are kept and treated until completely fit. Each stray dog under such shelters should be registered through Iris Biometric Recognition.