With the Central and the State governments caught in a dilemma over how to solve stray dog menace, the Supreme Court on Thursday wondered why the issue caused a big worry only in Kerala.
“More practical measures must be adopted to tackle the issue. Adequate compensation must be given to families of those who have lost their lives in stray dog attack and those bitten must be given free treatment,” observed the Apex Court bench presided by Justice Deepak Misra.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court-appointed S Siri Jagan committee recommended immediate measures to reduce stray dog population and warned the situation could go out of hand if people took law into their own hands.
Mentioning certain instances where the Panchayat members resorted to mass culling of dogs, the 12-page report criticised the state government for its inefficiency to tackle the problem. Most of the time, young children and women become victims of dog attack. Alarmed by the spike in stray dog attacks, people are forced to break the law and kill the mongrels.
The committee has also raised doubts on the ‘Animal Birth Control (ABC) ‘ programme saying that the sterilisation is not a quick solution to the immediate problem at hand. There is no proof that the aggressiveness of the animal could be brought down through the ‘ABC’ programme.
The case has been scheduled for further hearing on 17 November.
While hearing another case the Apex Court severely condemned states including Kerala for not being able to protect elephants in captivity from torture and abuse. The court said the law must be strictly enforced to shield the heritage animals.
source: Asianet News