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Expressing interest implicit the expanding fig of canine attacks crossed the country, the Supreme Court connected November 7 directed States and Union Territories to region stray dogs from nationalist places and displacement them to “designated shelters” aft sterilisation and vaccination.
However, the bid has sparked backlash from carnal payment advocates, who reason that it undermines semipermanent and humane approaches specified arsenic the Animal Birth Control (ABC) and vaccination programmes. Implementing the directive has besides proven challenging successful Vijayawada, which lacks capable structure facilities for dogs.
“Relocating thoroughfare dogs to shelters is ne'er the solution,” said Pisupati Ravi Keerthi, laminitis of the Vijayawada-based Sanghamitra Animal Foundation, who has rescued implicit 12,000 animals successful the past 7 years. Criticising the Supreme Court’s order, helium argued that it fails to code the basal cause. “When dogs pursuit cars oregon onslaught children, radical blasted the animals alternatively of questioning the corporation. Why doesn’t it allocate capable funds for neutering drives?” helium asked.
In the ₹1,454.58 crore fund for 2025–26, the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) acceptable speech ₹5.5 crore to power the carnal menace — much than treble past year’s ₹2 crore allocation — but inactive considered insufficient.
“At the Ajith Singh Nagar shelter, attraction is poor. Dogs easy prime up ticks and infections successful specified conditions. There person been respective instances wherever dogs had to beryllium re-sutured soon aft sterilisation,” said Mr. Ravi Keerthi.
He besides alleged that the sterilisation drives are conducted successful a disorganised manner. “There is nary ward-level planning. Moreover, the corp fails to merchandise dogs backmost into their archetypal localities aft surgery, starring to aggressiveness and territorial fights,” helium pointed out.
The Animal Welfare Board of India’s Revised ABC Module, issued successful February 2025, stresses that canine colonisation absorption and rabies prevention beryllium connected the effectual implementation of the ABC Rules, 2023. The module warns that creating a territorial vacuum — erstwhile a fewer dogs are removed portion others flight — tin pb to much conflicts and wound incidents.
According to VMC data, Vijayawada has astir 40,000 thoroughfare dogs and 320 kennels. Of these, astir 14,000 dogs person been neutered and vaccinated. “The constricted fig of kennels, wherever dogs are kept nether reflection for a week post-surgery, has slowed down the ABC programme,” said B. Somasekhar Reddy, Veterinary Assistant Surgeon, VMC. “We program to physique much kennels, but this requires further funding, which volition beryllium taken up successful the adjacent assembly meeting,” helium added.
In compliance with the Supreme Court’s order, the VMC has decided to contented notices to acquisition institutions, railway and autobus stations, hospitals, and different nationalist establishments, advising them to instal bound fencing and name a nodal serviceman to guarantee nary stray dogs participate their premises.
The corp has besides identified 59 designated feeding zones crossed the city’s 3 circles to minimise human-animal conflict. “We are urging citizens to provender dogs distant from residential areas, and sanitation officials person been instructed to show the process,” Mr. Somasekhar Reddy said.
Calling for a balanced approach, Mr. Ravi Keerthi emphasised the request for nationalist awareness. “People indispensable larn the dos and don’ts erstwhile dealing with thoroughfare dogs. They are portion of our community, and it is our corporate work to guarantee that the dogs successful our locality are vaccinated and sterilised,” helium said.
