Shillong: The High Court of Meghalaya has asked the state government authorities to set up shelter homes for Shillong street dogs.
The high court’s order came in response to a PIL that highlighted the growing menace posed by stray dogs on the streets of Shillong.
While there has been no census done of the population street dogs in Shillong, the PIL was filed in the high court to address the ongoing concerns about the growing incidents of dog attacks and public safety.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice IP Mukerji and Justice W Diengdoh observed that despite measures taken by the Shillong Municipal Board, incidents of dog attacks remained frequent.
The Shillong Municipal Board informed the high court that it has been regularly capturing, vaccinating, and sterilising stray dogs, but still it could not eradicate the menace caused by the street dogs in Shillong.
The civic authority said in absence of a dedicated shelter home for the street dogs has aggravated the problem.
A meeting, which was convened by the state government on February 12, had decided to allow the Shillong Municipal Board to use its animal shelter in Upper Shillong as a temporary home for the stray dogs.
The animal shelter home at Upper Shillong, which belongs to the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary department, was given to the Shillong Municipal Board for a period of two months.
The Shillong Municipal Board told the high court that the temporary structure currently in place could accommodate only 20 dogs.
The high court expressed dissatisfaction over the Board’s failure to raise concerns about the lack of permanent accommodation during the earlier meeting with the government officials.
The division bench has directed the state and the Shillong Municipal Board to convene another meeting to discuss long-term solutions, including the identification and acquisition of land for a permanent shelter home for street dogs of Shillong.
The court ordered that the temporary accommodations at Upper Shillong should be expanded till the permanent facility is in place.
The high court also directed the state government and the Shillong Municipal Board to submit a joint progress report before the next hearing, which is scheduled for May 8.
