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Correspondent

23 August 2024 at 4:29:04 pm

Kaleidoscope

Agniveer recruits of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (JAK LI) during the passing out parade of the sixth batch at the JAK LI Regimental Centre, on the outskirts of Srinagar, on Thursday. Bollywood actor Chunky Panday during Hungama OTT India Fest 2025, in Mumbai, on Thursday. Greek actress Mary Mina lights a torch from the cauldron during the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics flame handover ceremony at Panathenaic stadium, in Athens, Greece, on Thursday. An artist from Rajasthan...

Kaleidoscope

Agniveer recruits of the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (JAK LI) during the passing out parade of the sixth batch at the JAK LI Regimental Centre, on the outskirts of Srinagar, on Thursday. Bollywood actor Chunky Panday during Hungama OTT India Fest 2025, in Mumbai, on Thursday. Greek actress Mary Mina lights a torch from the cauldron during the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics flame handover ceremony at Panathenaic stadium, in Athens, Greece, on Thursday. An artist from Rajasthan performs a traditional dance during the 32nd Rashtriya Shilp Mela at North Central Zone Cultural Centre in Prayagraj on Wednesday. A woman collects usable items from debris strewn on the shore in the aftermath of Cyclone 'Ditwah', at Pattinapakkam Beach, on Thursday.

When Mumbai tried to relocate stray dogs

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Mumbai: The Supreme Court's judgement of shunting the stray dogs out Delhi-NCR limits has brought back memories of a similar initiative tried by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in 2007-08 of moving the stray dogs out of Mumbai and shifting them to dedicated dog shelters.


The brainchild of the then Mumbai Deputy Mayor Vidya Thakur who is currently legislator from the Goregaon assembly constituency, the proposal stressed on 'Stray Dogs Free Mumbai'.


Faced with an increasing number of dog bites cases, Thakur had mooted a proposal and written to the then state Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh asking for 50 acres of land in the Vasai-Virar belt out- side the city limits.


"I was getting lots of dog bites complaints and also people dying of rabies. Hence, I worked out an idea where strays can be shifted out and housed in dedicated shelters. This would have ensured both human beings and strays living in harmony," said Thakur.


There were an estimated 45,000 dog bites which took place in 2006 of which 21 people had died in Mumbai.


"We had identified the location and had begun talks with the villagers to take them into confidence on this project. We even begun talks with the state government. However, the proposal then fizzled out after I left my chair," she added.


The apex court on Monday ordered authorities across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) to round up all stray dogs within eight weeks, house them in dedicated dog shelters and ensure none are released back onto the streets.


However, animal activists are shocked and call the whole order as shocking. “Dogs are terrestrial animals and it will be disastrous if they are moved to some other places,” said an activist who declined to come on record.


“This whole issue will be a logistical nightmare. First the authorities have to get the land and create infrastructure suitable for the strays. After that, the authorities have to ensure feeding and medical facilities. This is a mammoth task and in no way completed in a month,” said another animal activist.


For decades, the BMC had been rounding the stray dogs and killing them. However, this stopped in 1994 after the animal activists moved the Bombay High Court who ordered the BMC to sterilise these strays and control their population. The BMC claimed in its survey that over the last 29 years, 4.30 lakh stray dogs have been sterilised. This has resulted in reduction in the stray dogs' population to 90,757 from 95,172 in the last decade.

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