Ghaziabad: On Wednesday, when Supreme Court refused to recall its decision to remove stray dogs from public places like hospitals, schools and railway stations, Ward No. 100 of Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation was quietly celebrating a feat rarely seen in cities — there is no community dog in the ward that has not been sterilised. Even better, several of them have been adopted and collared, settling into peaceful coexistence with their human neighbours in Shipra Sun City, the township that predominantly makes up the ward.According to GMC, this is the first ward across UP’s 17 municipal corporations to have achieved 100% community dog sterilisation. Till Feb, Lucknow sterilised 85% of the 1.4 lakh stray dogs on its streets, a feat that earned it the top court’s praise.But how did they achieve it? Councillor Sanjay Singh said the Shipra Sun City Owners Association formed a dog-monkey committee, which had representation from animal rights sympathisers and RWA members, who sat together to form a common strategy. Together, he said, they created a conducive environment where the corporation carried out the sterilisation of 102 of the 182 community dogs smoothly. The rest, adopted either by residents or NGOs, were sterilised at private facilities.“Initially, both sides viewed each other with suspicion, but over time, a trust between the two groups was established, and for the first time, the problem of community dogs was analysed threadbare, which helped achieve what Shipra Sun City has achieved,” said Ranjan Thakur, a member of the committee.Thakur said that over a period of six months since Dec last year, 12 lanes of the township’s Phase 1 were surveyed, in the presence of GMC officials, to identify 182 stray dogs. The data was shared with GMC, following which the corporation’s dog catcher squad — assisted by animal welfare groups including PFA, PETA and AIWB — picked up the dogs in a phased manner, sterilised them and returned each animal to the location from where it was taken.Dinesh Saini, a PFA member, said the group provided the team with the exact locations of all community dogs along with details of their gender, health, age and temperament. “We stood guard and ensured they were not ill-treated, and the whole process was carried out ethically,” he said, adding that the operation went smoothly. “In two years, since the community was first set up, we managed to achieve what no ward in the state has achieved so far.”Saini added that more than 80 community dogs have since been adopted and sterilised. He said he personally adopted five community dogs, sterilising and deworming them before bringing them home. Adoption of community dogs requires signing an undertaking as per the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules from the GMC, which stipulates that the animals must not be abandoned.
Dogs in the area are fed at four designated spots around 11.30 pm and early morning, when most bite cases have been reported
Vidya Jaganath, whose sister Prabha, a resident of the ward, was at the forefront of adopting community dogs, said, “My sister Prabha passed away recently, and by that time she had adopted about 25 community dogs. After her death, I took over their responsibility. Since I live in Bengaluru, I got the dogs shifted to a shelter home in Noida, which is also operated by our family.”Vinda Chavre, a member of the dog-monkey committee, said dog feeders helped the group study stray behaviour — identifying that dogs were fed at four designated spots around 11.30 pm and early morning, periods when they tended to be most aggressive and when most bite cases were reported. Feeding spots were subsequently shifted away from frequently used areas.The process, however, wasn’t always smooth. Councillor Singh recalled one case where a dog in lane 2 would vanish every time the catching squad arrived, only to reappear once they left. “It took a week and five attempts before the animal was finally caught and sterilised,” he said.Lalit Pandey of Windsor Nova apartment, located in the area, said FIRs, complaints, skirmishes, dog bites and flared tempers were once common. “There are many who still have FIRs lodged against them over the issue of community dogs,” he said, adding that the community worked hard to bring both sides together and resolve misgivings. “The result is for everyone to see.”Nitin Mishra, father of eight-year-old Artika and a resident of Regal Apartment in Lane 1, said that a couple of years ago, he did not allow his daughter to play in the society for fear of a dog attack. “Things have improved. The community dog population has stabilised and in the recent past I have not heard of any dog bite cases,” he said.Nitin Mishra, father of eight-year-old Artika and a resident of Regal Apartment in Lane 1, said that a couple of years ago, he did not allow his daughter to play in the society for fear of a dog attack. “Things have improved. The community dog population has stabilised and in the recent past I have not heard of any dog bite cases,” he said.
