Few vans with MCD to catch dogs

With the National Green Tribunal banning over 10-year-old diesel vehicles in the National Capital Region, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation is facing a shortage of dog-catching vans, some of which have surpassed the age bar set for the vehicles by the green court.

Out of a total of nine dog vans for six zones under the North Corporation, only seven are in a working condition, of which at least three are diesel vehicles purchased around 11 years ago.

The menace of stray dogs was again brought to the fore after a fatal attack on a seven-year-old boy by a pack of street dogs in south Delhi in August. Even National Human Rights Commission, which had taken suo motu cognisance of media reports of the incident, called for a wider debate “in a situation where human lives are at risk due to attack by animals”.

“The North Corporation receives complaints of dog bites almost daily. This is a serious safety issue. The corporation immediately needs to procure new vans,” said councilor Rajesh Bhatia, who had raised the issue of shortage of dog catching vehicles in one of standing committee meetings.

The corporation has a total of nine vans, out of which two are not in a working condition. Out of the seven, three are diesel vehicles, purchased 11 or 12 years ago, which leaves the corporation with only four vans for catching dogs for its six zones.
“It is illegal to ply these vans after the NGT order. There is a proposal to purchase six more vehicles, but, the finance department has asked us to do a tender for this purpose,” an official said.

According to figures presented by North Delhi Municipal Corporation in its standing committee meeting, 12 deaths due to rabies and 27, 260 cases of dog bites have been reported this year till August under its jurisdiction.

The civic agency claims it has sterilised 2,209 dogs with the help of NGOs till August 25. The corporation has 10 veterinary doctors but since it does not have any hospital, the doctors are not been able to sterilise the dogs.

Moreover the corporation has acquired a 2,000-sqm plot in Rohini for a sterilisation centre for dogs in the Civil Lines zone and another one will come up in Timarpur, although work is yet to begin on both the projects.