Animal Rights Activist and BJP leader Maneka Gandhi reacts to the Supreme Court's order to relocate stray dogs to shelters in Delhi-NCR: "It is not a doable order. This is a very strange judgment given by someone who is in anger. Angry judgments are never sensible..."
She says, "There is no single government-run shelter in Delhi. In how many shelters would you put 3 lakh dogs? You don't even have one. To make those shelters, you have to spend at least Rs 15,000crore. You'll have to find 3000 places for shelters in places where no one lives. How will you find these many places? This can't be done in two months. You'll have to employ 1.5 lakh people to just be sanitation workers, which will again cost crores... Firstly, when they go to get the dogs, there will be fighting in every street because feeders are not going to let the dogs go. Every day, there will be fights. Do we want this destabilisation situation? Other political parties will get into it to attack the BJP.
"When the dogs from here are displaced, dogs from nearby states will come to Delhi, as there will be more food here. Then, within a week, there will be another 3 lakh dogs in Delhi, and these will not be sterilised. Then will you start another sterilisation programme and spend hundreds of crores again?"
PETA India Advocacy Associate, Shaurya Agrawal, criticised the Supreme Court's order to relocate stray dogs to shelters in Delhi-NCR, calling the decision "impractical and illogical" as it is going to "create chaos and more problems."
Speaking with ANI, PETA Indian Advocacy Associate said, "This particular order is impractical, illogical and according to the animal birth control rules, also illegal. The Delhi government had 24 years to implement these sterilisation programs, implement the ABC rules. Delhi has 10 lakh dogs and only half of them are sterilised. Housing them in shelters is impractical. It is very difficult. This is going to create chaos and more problems." He further called the decision to remove dogs "inhumane and cruel in itself" and indicated that PETA is exploring all legal avenues to oppose the order.
"Removal of dogs is inhumane, is cruelty in itself, and the conditions within the shelters are going to be very bad... We are exploring all our legal avenues," he said.
Last night, animal rights activists, rescuers, caregivers, and dog lovers held a protest in front of the India Gate against the Supreme Court order. However, they were immediately stopped and detained by the police.
