The Delhi High Court has directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) to train their veterinary, para-veterinary and dog-catching staff with the Lucknow Municipal Corporation and accelerate street-dog sterilisation camps across the capital.
A bench of Justices Dinesh Mehta and Aditi Choudhary issued the directions while monitoring compliance with Supreme Court orders concerning street dogs. The proceedings are part of a suo motu public interest case initiated by the Delhi High Court.
The court instructed the MCD and NDMC to coordinate with the Lucknow Municipal Corporation to finalise the location and schedule of training camps. The training is to follow the module prescribed by the Animal Welfare Board of India. According to amicus curiae Gauri Maulekhi, the Lucknow civic body had agreed to send a person to Delhi to conduct a 15-day camp for veterinary staff, para-veterinary personnel and dog catchers.
The directions cover the practical responsibilities involved in the programme, including catching dogs, sterilising them and providing related veterinary and para-veterinary services. The court’s intervention places the focus not only on the number of animals sterilised but also on whether the civic bodies have the trained personnel and operational systems required to carry out the work.
During the hearing, lawyers representing the MCD and NDMC told the court that camps had already been held in the MCD’s eastern zone and in two NDMC zones. The civic bodies also stated that camps would be organised in two additional wards each to speed up the sterilisation process.
The High Court has ordered both civic bodies to submit affidavits within four weeks identifying the wards where street-dog sterilisation has been completed. The affidavits are expected to provide the court with a ward-level account of progress rather than a city-wide aggregate alone.
The Supreme Court had directed all High Courts to monitor compliance with its instructions concerning the removal of dogs from the premises of educational institutions, hospitals, bus stands and railway stations, among other locations. The Delhi proceedings are being conducted within that monitoring framework.
Maulekhi also submitted a roadmap for implementing pilot camps for street-dog sterilisation. The High Court directed the MCD to provide suggestions on the roadmap and prepare its own version for placement on the record and consideration by the court.
The case has been listed for further hearing on 3 November. The next stage will include the affidavits from the MCD and NDMC, the proposed ward-level progress report and the civic bodies’ response to the pilot-camp roadmap.
