Delhi issues guidelines for street dog management

NEW DELHI: Designated feeding spots in every ward, protection for animal feeders, special handling of aggressive and rabid dogs, 24x7 complaint redressal, and perks for adopting dogs of Indian breeds: these are part of fresh guidelines issued by the Delhi govt on Tuesday for managing street dogs, eradicating rabies and reducing human-dog conflict.The civic body will issue SOPs on these in a week, a senior official said.Under the rules, all pet dogs above three months of age are to be registered. These registrations will remain valid only if the rabies vaccination of the pets is up to date.

Harassment of dog feeders to invite legal action The rules have been framed in compliance with Supreme Court and high court directions and the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023. Officials said these are aimed at balancing public safety with animal welfare, while ensuring uniform implementation of sterilisation, vaccination and feeding protocols across the city.The guidelines follow the Supreme Court's ruling on Aug 22, in which it modified its earlier directive mandating confinement of stray dogs in Delhi-NCR in shelters. It clarified that these dogs may be released in their original habitation after being dewormed and vaccinated. Amid protests and violence against animal feeders in different parts of the country, it prohibited public feeding of strays, and impleaded all states and UTs to facilitate the framing of a uniform policy.

According to Delhi's guidelines, feeding spots for community dogs will be identified by RWAs and residents in each locality, keeping in view the territorial nature of dogs. "These points will be clearly marked with signboards, and feeding at any other location will not be permitted. Animal caregivers will also be responsible for maintaining cleanliness at these sites. Any harassment, obstruction or threats to feeders, especially women, senior citizens or volunteers, will invite strict legal action," said a senior official.To encourage cooperation, the government has announced that RWAs making effective arrangements for feeding will be recognised and rewarded.A senior official said residents adopting Indian dogs will be exempt from registration fees, while sterilisation and first vaccinations for such pets will be provided free of cost at designated ABC centres.Animals suspected to be rabid, violent, and aggressive shall be kept under observation at ABC centres.

"Rabid dogs shall be isolated until their natural death, with carcasses disposed of scientifically," say the guidelines. Non-rabid dogs shall be sterilised, administered anti-rabies vaccine, and released at the place of capture.Cruelty of any kind during capture is prohibited; only trained handlers are authorised to carry out the process.To ensure accountability and swift resolution of grievances, each municipal body has been directed to establish a round-the-clock complaint redressal mechanism. This includes setting up dedicated helplines and online portals for registering complaints related to dog bites, suspected rabies cases and lapses in the ABC programme. Complaint Control Cells will maintain registers of all grievances, and decisions of local authorities may be challenged before the State ABC Monitoring Committee.