Nagpur: Is the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) truly addressing the stray dog menace, or is it silently torturing and killing the very animals it claims to manage? The disturbing answer, according to citizens and activists, could be yes.
After sustained criticism from the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court and rising public anger over repeated incidents of stray dog attacks, NMC finally intensified its dog-catching drives across the city. However, the ground reality of what happens after these dogs are picked up is raising serious ethical and legal questions.
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Reports suggest that the caught dogs are subjected to severe neglect, with no systematic arrangements for food, water, or medical care. “These mute animals are starving and go thirsty inside the poorly maintained kennels. Some die a slow death,” alleged a city-based animal rights activist, adding that NMC’s approach is nothing short of cruelty in the name of control.
Residents from various localities, including Dharampeth, Manewada, and Jaripatka, revealed that once the dogs are caught, they almost never return to their original areas. In some instances, locals claimed that NMC officials release the animals in faraway localities, leaving them to fend for themselves. “When new dogs are dumped in unfamiliar territories, they are attacked by local packs. Many are killed in these territorial fights,” a resident of Manewada said.
Animal lovers argue that such practices not only amount to blatant violation of the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001 and Supreme Court directives on humane treatment of strays, but also fail to solve the root problem. Sterilization and vaccination, the two key components of stray dog management, remain grossly neglected by the civic body.
Senior NMC officials, however, maintain that their teams are following the guidelines. But the absence of transparency, no public data on how many dogs are caught, sterilized, released, or dead, only strengthens suspicion.
“The problem is not stray dogs, it is the failure of authorities,” said an activist. “Instead of running effective sterilization programmes, NMC is indulging in shortcut solutions which are nothing but torture and displacement.”
The issue is not just one of animal rights. Experts warn that displacing strays leads to a “vacuum effect,” new, unvaccinated dogs entering the area, increasing the risk of bites and rabies. Citizens too remain unsafe, despite NMC’s tall claims of action.
As the controversy deepens, the High Court’s intervention is once again expected, with activists planning to file fresh petitions demanding accountability. Until then, hundreds of strays caught every week may continue to face a grim fate, dying thirsty, starving, or mauled to death in alien territories, all under the banner of civic action.
