Maneka Gandhi slams SC order on stray dogs, calls it ‘impractical, financially unviable’
She stated that feeding the impounded dogs would require another Rs 5 crore a week, which could spark a public backlash.
Maneka Gandhi, animal rights activist and former Union minister, has strongly criticised the Supreme Court’s order on stray dogs in Delhi-NCR, calling the directive ‘impractical, financially unviable and potentially harmful’ to the region’s ecological balance. On Monday, the apex court ordered the Delhi government and civic bodies to start picking up strays from all localities and keep them in shelters, warning of strict action against anyone obstructing the drive.
Why Gandhi called the SC decision unworkable
Gandhi said that the scale of the task makes it “unworkable”. “You have three lakh dogs in Delhi. To get them all off the roads, you’ll have to make 3,000 pounds, each with drainage, water, a shed, a kitchen, and a watchman. That will cost about Rs 15,000 crore. Does Delhi have Rs 15,000 crore for this?” she told PTI. Feeding the impounded dogs, she added, would require another Rs 5 crore a week, which could spark a public backlash.
Gandhi explains why removing strays could invite other ecological problems
Warning of unintended consequences, Gandhi said, “Within 48 hours, three lakh dogs will come from Ghaziabad, Faridabad because there’s food in Delhi. And once you remove the dogs, monkeys will come on the ground… I’ve seen this happen at my own house. In Paris in the 1880s, when they removed dogs and cats, the city was overrun with rats,” she said, calling dogs “rodent control animals”.
READ |Â Bombay HC’s BIG remark on citizenship: ‘Aadhaar, PAN card or voter ID doesn’t make…’
Maneka Gandhi on unregulated pet dog sales
The BJP leader flagged the role of unregulated pet dog sales, claiming that “70 per cent of bites are from pet dogs and 30 per cent from street dogs”. “This government was extremely serious about adopting our 14-point plan. Within two years, we could have fewer dogs, no biting, and a happy coexistence between humans and animals,” she said. “Now this judgment derails everything.”
