Shillong, Nov 27: The Meghalaya High Court on Wednesday directed the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) to submit an action taken report in regards to the street dogs and take steps to set up a shelter for them with the assistance of the state government.
In its order passed after hearing a PIL, the bench comprising Chief Justice IP Mukerji and Justice W Diengdoh said, “We direct that immediate steps be taken in that direction by the Board with the assistance of the State government and the action taken be embodied in a report to be filed in this Court by 5th February, 2025.”
The court has taken judicial notice of the fact that street dogs are increasing in number and pose a menace to the public. The cases of dog bites and deaths caused by rabies are sizeable in number.
It said the counsel for the Shillong Municipal Board states that the municipality has taken measures to vaccinate those dogs against the above infection and sterilize them so that their number does not increase. However, till now there is no shelter to keep those dogs.
The municipality personnel capture the dogs from the road , vaccinate and sterilize them. Thereafter, they are released on the road again.
“While we appreciate this work being carried out by the Municipal Board, there is absolute need for the Board to acquire a shelter where these street dogs can be kept,”the bench asserted.
On the issue of shifting the present zoo from Shillong, the bench has expressed satisfaction with the action taken by the state government.
“We are quite satisfied with the action taken by the government to shift the zoo to a location which is more congenial to animals,” it said.
The counsel for the State submits before this Court that way back in June, 2024, the present zoo in Shillong was shifted to a location which is about 35 kms from Shillong. This facility has amongst other things a veterinary hospital manned by a competent doctor.
Nearly all the animals from the present zoo except a pregnant deer and birds have been transferred to the new location which is known as the Meghalaya State Zoo.
The birds could not be shifted as they had to be accommodated in a cage type enclosure, the construction of which has not been completed till now, the order said.
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