Activists decry GBAs flawed implementation of SC order
BENGALURU: Animal rights activists and concerned citizens have pointed out deep flaws in the implementation of the Supreme Court ruling on removal of stray dogs from public premises. At a press conference on Monday, they flagged the manner in which the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) has been implementing the SC order, saying it disregards the wellbeing of the dogs as well as the general public. According to the group, the GBA has been picking up dogs across the city and placing them in temporary shelters which runs in clear violation of the SC order and the standard operating procedure (SOP) laid out by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI). So far, according to data shared by the group, 184 dogs have been picked up across the city without proper procedure. The group also approached Chief Secretary Dr Shalini Rajneesh, who guided them to GBA Special Commissioner Vikas Suralkar. According to Friend for Animal Trust founder Vikash Bafna, Suralkar said temporary shelters would be the way forward, an admission that reveals much of the problem. The chronology in which the SC order and AWBI S0P are to be implemented by the GBA is through identification, fencing, nodal officer appointment, vaccination and neutering, identifying designated permanent shelters and only then, catching dogs. But theyre catching dogs before even fencing these identified areas. It runs in contempt of the apex court. This is a state-sponsored cruelty in the city, said lawyer Alwyn Sebastian.
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