MUMBAI: Animal activist and feeder, Vandana Mahar, who has been regularly feeding close to 45 dogs at a government land plot along the Juhu-Versova link Road in Mumbai, was shocked to find a BMC van arrive at the site on Tuesday morning with several police personnel from D N Nagar police station in order to pick up the healthy and sterilized dogs from the plot.
Vandana immediately objected to the relocation of the dogs before the K West ward officials, and quoted the Supreme Court directive and guidelines in this regard. However, the civic officials did not pay heed to her pleas, and she along with her husband were detained at the D N Nagar police station for nearly two hours for interfering with the civic work.
“The BMC officials had picked up three sterilized dogs from the land plot, while the remaining dogs had fled towards the mangroves after seeing the commotion in the area. I repeatedly told the municipal and the accompanying police officers to release the three dogs they had picked up, since it is against the Supreme Court order to relocate sterilized dogs. However, they just refused to listen to my reasoning. The police also stopped me from video recording the procedure of picking up the healthy dogs; and later took away my phone,” said Vandana, adding that her husband was also detained along with her for trying to videorecord the incident.
When TOI contacted the K West assistant municipal commissioner, Prithviraj Chauhan, he said: “The vacant plot where dogs are present is basically the collector’s land, and our ward was instructed to clear the area. I contacted the head of the BMC Deonar abattoir in order to pick up the dogs. However, the animal activist (Vandana) had started objecting, although we were only carrying out our duty.”
When told about the Supreme Court guidelines, Chauhan reiterated that they were only following the official instructions to clear the plot, as it was to be handed over for some other purpose.
Fortunately for Vandana, though, she managed to trace the three dogs to the IDA Centre at Deonar on Wednesday, and successfully brought them back to the same plot on Juhu-Versova link road.
“I have only followed the legal rules and Supreme Court guidelines that clearly state that neutered dogs cannot be relocated. Even if you want to vaccinate them, then it can be done on the spot itself,” said Vandana.
Vandana immediately objected to the relocation of the dogs before the K West ward officials, and quoted the Supreme Court directive and guidelines in this regard. However, the civic officials did not pay heed to her pleas, and she along with her husband were detained at the D N Nagar police station for nearly two hours for interfering with the civic work.
“The BMC officials had picked up three sterilized dogs from the land plot, while the remaining dogs had fled towards the mangroves after seeing the commotion in the area. I repeatedly told the municipal and the accompanying police officers to release the three dogs they had picked up, since it is against the Supreme Court order to relocate sterilized dogs. However, they just refused to listen to my reasoning. The police also stopped me from video recording the procedure of picking up the healthy dogs; and later took away my phone,” said Vandana, adding that her husband was also detained along with her for trying to videorecord the incident.
When TOI contacted the K West assistant municipal commissioner, Prithviraj Chauhan, he said: “The vacant plot where dogs are present is basically the collector’s land, and our ward was instructed to clear the area. I contacted the head of the BMC Deonar abattoir in order to pick up the dogs. However, the animal activist (Vandana) had started objecting, although we were only carrying out our duty.”
When told about the Supreme Court guidelines, Chauhan reiterated that they were only following the official instructions to clear the plot, as it was to be handed over for some other purpose.
Fortunately for Vandana, though, she managed to trace the three dogs to the IDA Centre at Deonar on Wednesday, and successfully brought them back to the same plot on Juhu-Versova link road.
“I have only followed the legal rules and Supreme Court guidelines that clearly state that neutered dogs cannot be relocated. Even if you want to vaccinate them, then it can be done on the spot itself,” said Vandana.