Shillong: The Meghalaya High Court has asked the Shillong Municipal Board to complete the construction of the shelter for street dogs within 30 days.
The court’s order emphasizes the need for swift action to provide shelter for these animals.
While hearing a PIL, a division bench of Chief Justice Indra Prasanna Mukerji and Justice Wanlura Diengdoh, said that the Shillong Municipal Board was directed to file an action taken report with regard to the construction of a shelter to keep the street dogs and it filed an affidavit on February 5, 2025.
“It appears from this affidavit that the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department of the state government has a shelter for dogs and was approached by the Municipal Board to accommodate the animals captured by them,” the court said.
The court stated that in response to a letter dated 3rd January, 2025 of the Board, the Director of the Department by his letter dated 16th January, 2025, had informed him that the Board was given responsibility to provide a shelter and not the State and that the above facility was being used for animal birth control programme.
The court said, “However, it is very heartening to note that the Municipal Board soon thereafter invited tender for construction of a dog shelter home and has awarded the contract in favour of a party and that construction of the shelter has started which is expected to be completed within the next 30 days.”
We direct the Municipal Board to ensure as far as possible that this construction is completed within the above stipulated time and the street dogs are provided shelter there, the bench said.
On the relocation of the zoo in Shillong, the bench said, “By our order dated 27th November, 2024 in a public interest litigation (PIL) concerning relocation of the zoo in Shillong and for measures to deal with street dog menace in public places, we had expressed our satisfaction with the steps taken by the government for shifting the zoo in Shillong to a location about 35 km from the city.”
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The court observed that only the birds could not be shifted but they were also likely to be shifted to the new location after the construction of a cage-type enclosure.
The PIL concerning the welfare of stray dogs in Shillong, which prompted the Meghalaya High Court to order the construction of a dog shelter, will be heard again on March 12, 2025.
