Corpn directed not to reject help from NGOs on dog pound upkeep

Noting that NGOs, philanthropists and others were coming forward to offer electrical appliances and other utilities for the welfare and treatment of dogs in the three pounds, a division bench comprising Justice S Manikumar and Justice Subramonium Prasad directed the Corporation Commissioner to receive and use them.

The bench added that it was not going into the merits of the case and rival contentions about the adequacy of the measures and provisions made for the surgeries and postoperative care, and the allegations that surgeries were being performed by driversand not doctors.

Earlier, Advocate Commissioner Yogeshwaran made submissions on his report dated January 2019 that the three dog pounds (Pulianthope, Krishnampet and Royapettah) were in an abysmal state. Substantiating his contention with photographs, he said the records were also in utter disarray and the provisions spelt out in the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act has become anutter misnomer.

None of the provisions on the way the dogs should be caught, sterilised and left in the same area from where they were caught were being followed, he alleged. With a paltry Rs 150 to Rs 175 given per surgery, none of the veterinary doctors were interested in doing birth control procedures on dogs, he said, adding that this resulted in them being performed by quacks. The number of surgeries done per day was more than the prescribed norm, and the dogs were also not administered anaesthesia during the procedure, resulting in them being subjected to utter cruelty.

Both healthy dogs and diseased dogs were being kept in the same place resulting even in healthy dogs suffering, he added.

Appearing for an animal welfare organisation, advocate S P Chockalingam submitted that NGOs were involved in performing surgeries earlier. But the process was stopped in 2015 resulting in drivers, who catch these dogs, performing the surgeries, resulting in them being kept in unhygienic condition with no proper food being provided.

Amicus Curiae LN Prakasam submitted that fans and exhaust fans have been provided in Krishnampet pound by generating financial resources generated. If a reasonable time was given, funds would be generated from NGOs to provide adequate number of fans in the other two pounds,he submitted.

However, Corporation’s counsel K Soundararajan submitted that the civic body has already provided sufficient fans, electrical and other facilities in all thethree pounds.

Claiming that each centre performed about 10 birth control surgeries a day on an average in 2018, he said the number varied based on the number of dogs brought there. At each centre, one veterinary assistant surgeon looks after all the activities. In addition, there was one veterinary doctor on contract has been deployed in each centre exclusively for animal birth control surgery and postoperative care of dogs.