The Calcutta High Court has directed the State and civic bodies to submit reports on the implementation of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, within four weeks.
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed by advocate Akash Sharma, in the first week of August, seeking humane control of stray dog population through sterilization, vaccination, immunisation and deworming, as required by Rules and not the elimination or relocation of the dogs.
The division bench of Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Smita Das De sought a report from the state government on the implementation of the ABC Rules and the total sterilization and vaccination of strays.
The petitioner highlighted that India records over 10,000 dog-bite cases daily, with West Bengal reporting over 200 cases each day.
Sharma further submitted that the state has failed to establish a grievance redressal mechanism, sterilization centers, and adequate vaccination drives as mandated under the ABC Rules, 2023.
The Department of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs and the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation were present during the hearing, while other respondents including the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, Howrah Municipal Corporation, the Department of Health and Family Welfare, the West Bengal State Animal Welfare Board and the Animal Welfare Board of India, Govt of India remained absent.
The High Court has directed that a copy of the order be served upon the absent respondents.
The next hearing is scheduled for September 18.
The PIL also seeks the High Court’s intervention to direct the state government to: launch mass sterilization and vaccination programs for stray dogs, designate feeding zones for strays, establish state-run shelters for stray dogs and identify, treat, and rehabilitate aggressive dogs in their original locations.
“This petition isn’t about removing stray dogs. It’s about enforcing humane and lawful measures. The rising bite cases reflect administrative apathy towards both public safety and animal welfare,” advocate Akash Sharma said while speaking to The Indian Express.
Meanwhile, Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s (KMC) Deputy Mayor Atin Ghosh stated that the non-allocation of funds by the central government for the ABC programme is the primary reason behind the growing number of strays. He stated that Kolkata with limited resources has continued the ABC programme which is why the city has a lower incident of dog bite cases. “We don’t have the resources to neutralize 150 dogs in a day, but every day we neutralize nearly 30 dogs,” Ghosh said.