Local Administration Minister A. Namassivayam on Wednesday announced in the Assembly that the government would file an affidavit and implead itself in a case pending in the Supreme Court regarding stray dog menace in several states including Kerala.
Replying to a calling attention motion raised by AIADMK Deputy Legislature party leader A. Anbalagan, Mr. Namassivayam said that the government had already taken strong steps to curb the menace in Puducherry.
The administration, along with the Kerala government, would plead for relaxation of the norms on curbing the dog menace in a petition coming up for hearing on September 14 in the apex court, he said.
The minister concurred with the views of opposition legislators that school-going children and two-wheeler riders had been facing difficulties due to the menace.
DocumentaryIn addition to filing an affidavit, the government would also submit a documentary before the Supreme Court on the situation arising out of stray dog menace here. Mr. Namassivayam said that there were nearly 32,000 stray dogs in the entire Union Territory and the municipalities were taking various steps including implementation of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme and administration of anti-rabies vaccines as per the guidelines of the Animal Welfare Board.
Earlier tabling the calling attention motion, AIADMK MLA A. Anbalagan said no effective measures were taken so far and the local administration department was often a mute spectator to the explosion in the population of potentially rabid stray dogs.
Urging the government to take strong action, he suggested that the organisations, which are supportive of dogs, take care of them.
