New Delhi: Residents Welfare Associations (RWAs) in Delhi have largely welcomed Supreme Court’s directions on stray dogs.At the same time, they expressed doubts about effective implementation of the directions, pointing out that civic bodies lack adequate infrastructure, shelters and manpower to handle the scale of the problem.The RWAs demanded that Delhi govt support and monitor the issue instead of leaving the responsibility entirely to MCD. Animal lovers, on the other hand, stressed that the matter should be handled sensitively.Saurabh Gandhi, general secretary of United Residents of Delhi, said, “The court has issued the directions with special consideration for protection of human life and the safety of children and the elderly under Article 21. It has fixed accountability on govts and officials and raised the possibility of contempt proceedings, which will also check those obstructing the implementation of the directions.”He added, “Euthanising dogs that have become rabid and dangerous highlights the importance of human life, something certain dog lovers have ignored while citing ABC Rules.”Atul Goel of United Residents for Joint Action said there was a need to maintain a balance on such a sensitive issue. “Authorities rather than the public are responsible for the mess. They failed to implement the rules and come out with a proper SOP. Unless they streamline the system and take residents into confidence, the problem will continue,” he said.Sanjay Rana of GK-II RWA said, “Dog lovers in our area are making every effort to feed and vaccinate strays. However, MCD and other civic bodies haven’t even updated their census data. So how will they carry out sterilisation properly? MCD had no funds even to pay NGOs a few months ago, so where will they take dogs lifted from public places?” he wondered.
