6 months ago
1
Following the Supreme Court’s absorption to States and Union Territories to structure thoroughfare dogs alternatively of releasing them backmost connected the streets, the Tamil Nadu authorities is readying to survey the feasibility of establishing centres to location the animals. However, the determination whitethorn instrumentality a fewer years arsenic determination is nary fiscal enactment from the Centre, officials said.
According to a elder authoritative astatine the Secretariat, arsenic per the Supreme Court’s earlier order, controlling the thoroughfare canine colonisation involves Animal Birth Control (ABC) surgeries, regular vaccination against rabies, and the constitution of shelters. “The State is considering handing implicit onshore to non-governmental organisations to acceptable up these shelters. However, the facilities whitethorn instrumentality 4 to 5 years to go operational, and it cannot beryllium done immediately. Discussions are nether mode to systematically instrumentality each 3 measures — ABC, vaccination, and sheltering — crossed the State,” the authoritative said.
A survey of veterinary institutions, doctors and NGOs crossed the State needs to beryllium undertaken, and enumeration of dogs successful nationalist places has to statesman successful districts, arsenic was done successful Chennai. Only aft this tin a program beryllium prepared, different authoritative successful the Municipal Administration and Water Supply (MAWS) Department said.
According to information from the Tamil Nadu Animal Welfare Board (TNAWB) released successful January 2025, a survey conducted successful 2024 recovered astir 1.8 lakh stray dogs wrong the Greater Chennai Corporation limits; 25,000 successful Erode; and 14,291 successful Vellore. The past survey successful Coimbatore recorded 1.11 lakh thoroughfare dogs.
Shruti Vinod Raj, a subordinate of the Tamil Nadu Animal Welfare Board (TNAWB), said discussions to draught a feasibility program for lodging thoroughfare dogs and controlling their colonisation had been scheduled. “This is simply a challenging task as, truthful far, the ABC Rules 2023 issued by the Centre mandated releasing sterilised dogs backmost to the aforesaid determination and did not licence imperishable sheltering. The existent Supreme Court absorption appears contradictory to this, truthful it cannot beryllium implemented immediately,” she said.
“There is besides nary fiscal enactment from the Centre for mounting up specified shelters, truthful backing sources request to beryllium identified. Implementation whitethorn truthful instrumentality time,” she added.
Chennai Corporation
The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) volition soon statesman constructing 2 shelters — 1 successful Vadaperumbakkam and different successful Manali — for terminally sick and assertive dogs, astatine an estimated outgo of astir ₹2 crore each. “Around 250 dogs could beryllium sheltered successful each unit. They volition beryllium housed successful idiosyncratic kennels, and NGOs volition grip manpower and administration. The enactment bid for operation has been issued, and the buildings volition beryllium completed wrong the adjacent 3 months,” a GCC authoritative said.
“To negociate the population, assertive dogs volition beryllium monitored periodically and released erstwhile they are recovered to person recovered, aft which the adjacent batch of ferocious dogs volition beryllium taken in. However, those suffering from rabies oregon canine distemper volition stay permanently successful the kennels,” helium added.
“A survey conducted by volunteers of the Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS) and released successful September 2024 by the GCC showed that Chennai’s thoroughfare canine colonisation stood astatine 1.8 lakh. So far, astir 1.18 lakh dogs person been vaccinated since September 2025 done an intensive drive,” the authoritative said.
