Supreme Court Directs Clearance of Stray Cattle from Highways, Holds Chief Secretaries Accountable
NEW DELHI: India’s Supreme Court on Friday issued a wide-ranging set of directives aimed at insulating key public spaces from the country’s growing stray dog menace and clearing highways of stray cattle and other animals.
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N.V. Anjaria, hearing a suo motu matter on stray dog management nationwide, ordered that every educational institution, hospital, public sports complex, bus stand, and railway station must be properly fenced to prevent the entry of stray dogs.
The Justice Nath-led bench also mandated that local municipal bodies conduct regular pick-up drives from these fenced premises. The collected animals must then be shifted to designated shelters after undergoing mandatory vaccination and sterilisation under the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023.
In a move to ensure strict compliance, the Apex court stated that Chief Secretaries of all States and Union Territories shall ensure strict adherence to the new orders. Failure to comply will result in these officers being held personally responsible.
The Court, which had previously expressed displeasure with states and UTs over lapses in enforcing the ABC Rules, will be seeking compliance status reports within eight weeks. These reports must detail the specific mechanisms put in place to implement the directives.