Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh high court has pulled up the state govt for inadequate sterilisation of stray dogs, observing that excessive emphasis on vaccination and dependence on private veterinarians and NGOs would not help control their population.A division bench of Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Justice Bipin Chander Negi said Supreme Court’s directions clearly stressed operational control and sterilisation capacity to reduce the stray dog population in the long run. The court observed that the state was missing this crucial aspect.Between Jan 1 and June 30, a total of 3,709 dogs were sterilised, while 26,564 were vaccinated. The court was hearing a matter concerning compliance with Supreme Court’s directions on stray dog management.A compliance affidavit filed by the state govt stated that 31 Animal Birth Control (ABC) centres were functioning across Himachal Pradesh, except in Lahaul and Spiti, where the stray dog population was reportedly low. Of these, 17 centres were operating under urban local bodies and 14 in animal husbandry department institutions. The govt informed the court that 12 additional ABC centres had been proposed at a meeting chaired by the chief secretary on July 31. The animal husbandry department had designated 74 veterinarians for the programme.The affidavit stated that 16,319 institutions, primarily educational institutions, hospitals, primary health centres and community health centres, had been identified for securing their premises against stray dogs.Directions had been issued to ensure proper fencing, and nodal officers had been appointed to oversee implementation of the ABC Rules. Two stray dog shelters had been established under the Shimla and Dharamshala municipal corporations.However, district-level committees had identified infrastructure gaps, including inadequately equipped operation theatres, shortages of veterinarians and trained staff, and a lack of land for constructing ABC centres and dog shelters.Amicus curiae advocate Ragini Dogra pointed out that some centres, including those at Bilaspur and Ner Chowk in Mandi, were temporary, while sterilisation work in Kullu district was being handled by an NGO.She also highlighted the absence of sterilisation in Kinnaur despite 536 vaccinations. In Shimla, she submitted that despite vaccination campaigns, the municipal corporation had no permanent veterinary officer at its ABC-AR centres for two years.Only 316 stray dogs had been sterilised as of Oct 5, according to the affidavit. The court said merely outsourcing sterilisation to NGOs or private doctors would not suffice and stressed the need for a permanent veterinary doctor to carry out the procedure regularly. The court directed the authorities to fill the veterinary post at Shimla by the next hearing, either through deputation or appointment. The matter has been listed for Dec 3 for the next hearing.
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