The locked out building has dogs in every room. Without people, food or water.
Amit Parmar had been hearing about starving puppies and dogs in Panvel, near Mumbai which is administered by the Panvel Nagar Parishad (City Counil). He decided to go and pay the ABC Center in Panvel a visit to understand the cause of the problem – since it’s unlikely that an effective program would cause so many dogs to be in the immediate vicinity of the Center!
Amit reached there 16 Dec 2011 at 1330 hrs. When he reached the location he discovered that the ABC Center (ABC Center) is run not by an AWO but by an individual! The ABC Center is run by one Dr. Rohit Dayanand Gharat. However the Center clearly looked in disuse and not operational.
Since the front door was locked he called Dr. Rohit Dayanand Gharat on the pretext that he wanted to get ABC surgery done on some street dogs that he was taking care of in Panvel. Dr Rohit refused to provide any assistance till when Amit offered to pay for the ABC surgery. Dr Rohit then immediately agreed but asked for the dogs to be brought to his private clinic saying that no ABC surgery can be performed at the Center! Amit also learnt that let alone a helpline for dog related problems, there was not even a phone at the Center for anyone to call in a report for/on dogs.
He learnt from a construction worker nearby told him that the ABC Center is operational only 2 hrs a day in the morning. Since the Center was locked and looked inoperational there were supposed to be no dogs inside. But when he whistled/called for dogs and to his great surprise was greeted by barking from inside the building.
Caught by surprise he climbed the wall and to his shock found that in the locked out building there were dogs in every room. All without any food and with dirty water in pans in some rooms. The dogs he videographed included one paralysed dog.
There were no operation tables & no furniture, no medical supplies of any kind in the building.
The area where the so called “ABC Centre” of the Panvel Nagar Parishad, Navi Mumbai is located, is a deserted area, bushy, and snake infested. In fact, while Amit was there, a snake passed a little distance away from him. The only people he saw in the vicinity were some construction laborers, and many drug addicts.
WHAT IS VERY PERTINENT ABOUT THE MANNER IN WHICH ANIMAL BIRTH CONTROL IS BEIGN CONDUCTED WITHIN THE LOCAL, TERRITORIAL LIMITS OF THE PANVEL NAGAR PARISHAD, NAVI MUMBAI, IS AS FOLLOWS :
- At the alleged “ABC Center”, there is NO OPERATION TABLE ;
- At the alleged “ABC Center”, there is NO MEDICINE TABLE ;
- At the alleged “ABC Center”, there is NO KITCHEN for preparation of food for the dogs “housed” within the “ABC Center” ;
- At the alleged “ABC Center”, there NO STAFF to tend to, look after, or at least oversea the dogs “housed” within the “ABC Center”.
ANOTHER QUESTION THAT IMMEDIATELY COMES TO MIND IS :
If the veterinarian allegedly performing animal birth control operations through the CNVR method at the instance of the Panvel Nagar Parishad, Navi Mumbai, within its local, jurisdictional limits, why is that area full of thin, sorry looking, starving adult dogs, and many hungry, sad little starving puppies?
QUESTIONS REGARDING THE ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITY OF THE LOCAL AUTHORITY, I.E. THE PANVEL NAGAR NIGAM PARISHAD, ETC. :
- What is the municipality / local authority’s responsibility under law, vis-à-vis animal birth control of street dogs within its territorial, jurisdictional limits?
- What is the AWO’s role and responbility?
- Can a single veterinarian, operating as an individual practitioner, and not as belonging to an SPCA / AWO conduct an abc programme for a local authority?
- Is the CNVR method, i.e. the Catch Neuter Vaccinate Release, or the Same Day Release method allowed for conducting animal birth control operations of street dogs?
WHAT IS THE LAW AND PRECEDENCE?
Under Indian law, any municipal corporation, Nagar Parishad, or other local authority that wishes to control street dog population, and the threat of rabies, can only do so by sterilizing and immunizing street dogs with the participation of animal welfare organizations.
Rule 6(2) of the Animal Birth Control (Dogs Rules), 2001, enacted under Section 38 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, mandates that if the municipal corporation or other local authority “thinks it expedient to control street dog population, it shall be incumbent upon them to sterilize and immunize street dogs with the participation of animal welfare organizations”.
Rule 6(1) is equally pertinent, and it sets out the OBLIGATIONS OF THE LOCAL AUTHORITY in the following terms :
“The local authority shall provide for:
- Establishment of a sufficient number of dog pounds including animal kennels/shelters which may be managed by animal welfare organizations;
- Requisite number of dog vans with ramps for the capture and transportation of street dogs;
- One driver and two trained dog catchers to be provided for each dog van;
- An ambulance-cum-clinical van to be provided as mobile centre for sterilization and immunization;
- Incinerators to be installed by the local authority for the disposal of carcasses.
- Periodic repair of shelter or pound.”
Rule 7 is the Rule that deals elaborately with the manner in which ‘Capturing/sterilization/immunization/release’ is to be effected.
It sets out some RESPONSIBILITIES DEVOLVING UPON THE AWO entrusted with an ABC programme ; and DOES NOT ENVISAGE THAT AN INDIVIDUAL VETERINARY PRACTITIONER can conduct an ABC programme for a local authority.
Sub-Rule (6) of Rule 7, provides as follows :
‘The captured dogs shall be brought to the dog kennels/dog pounds managed by the Animal Welfare Organizations (AWOs). On reaching the dog pounds all dogs shall be examined by the veterinarians and healthy and sick dogs should be segregated. Sick dogs should be given proper treatment in the hospitals run by Society for Prevention Cruelty to Animals (SPCA)/other institutions and only after they are treated should they be sterilized and vaccinated. The dogs will be sterilized/vaccinated under the supervision of the veterinarians of the hospital run by the Society for Prevention Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), Animal Welfare Organization, or other dog shelters. After necessary period of follow up, the dogs shall be released at the same place or locality from where they were captured and the date, time and place of their release shall be recorded. The representative of Animal Welfare Organizations (AWOs) shall accompany the dog squad at the time of release also.’
Sub-Rule (8) of Rule 7, which also sets out some RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE AWO entrusted with an ABC programme any MUNICIPAL/LOCAL AUTHORITY, provides as follows :
‘The dog kennel must have sufficient space for proper housing and free movement of dogs. The place should have proper ventilation and natural lighting and must be kept clean. Adults and puppies must be housed separately and amongst the adults the males and females also should be housed separately. Adequate arrangement of drinking water and food shall be made for dogs while in captivity.’
The Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001, also provide for the formation of Monitoring Committees by the MUNICIPAL/LOCAL AUTHORITY within the jurisdictional limits of every municipal / local authority, consisting of persons drawn from the municipal / local authority, and from AWOs, for “planning and management of dog control programme” in accordance with the Rules.
CLEARLY, NONE OF THE ABOVE IS BEING DONE BY THE PANVEL NAGAR PARISHAD, NAVI MUMBAI. Amit Parmar’s investigation and the video recorded by him, are ample testimony of the same.
Whether the CNVR method, i.e. the Catch Neuter Vaccinate Release, or the Same Day Release method is allowed for conducting animal birth control operations of street dogs, please refer to the earlier article regarding the same.
The Animal Welfare Board of India functioning under the aegis of the Ministry of Environment Forests HAS NOT approved and finalized the Concept, or issued Standard Operating Procedures, and permitted CNVR, i.e. Catch Neuter Vaccinate and Release, or Same Day Release for animal birth control ; and hence the said procedure is NOT ALLOWED for animal birth control. This has been clarified by the Board’s letter of 30th December, 2011, addressed to ALL MUNICIPAL/LOCAL AUTHORITIES, & ALL AWOS.
The Board has also warned AWOs participating in the ABC programmes of MUNICIPAL/LOCAL AUTHORITIES, that AWOs found to be using the same, i.e. the CNVR, i.e. Catch Neuter Vaccinate and Release, or Same Day Release method for animal birth control shall, be de-recognized by the Animal Welfare Board of India. They shall also render themselves liable to prosecution under the animal welfare laws of the country, and under penal laws.
The Panvel Nagar Parishad, Navi Mumbai’s ABC Program, if there is indeed one, is obviously fraught with irregular, and loopholes, unfortunately for the poor dogs being subjected to whatever they’re being subjected to, imprisoned as they are in the decrepit “ABC Centre” that Amit visited.
