Stray dogs roaming around Central Delhi may soon find themselves attending grooming school with the New Delhi Municipal Council planning to adopt and train them as guard dogs. The civic body will enlist the services of police dog trainers in an attempt to train these dogs and press them into service.
Accompanied by in-house home guards, also a new initiative by the civic body, the dogs and the men will share the mandate of keeping the area safe and secure.
“If these dogs are going to roam the NDMC area, they might as well work,” NDMC chairman Jalaj Shrivastava said on a lighter note on Friday. “Our plan is to adopt these strays and train them as guard dogs.”
The civic body has, in the past, constituted committees and worked with the Animal Welfare Board to sterilise and keep the numbers of stray dogs under check after repeatedly receiving complains about incidents of dog bites. This initiative is meant to address two issues: take the strays off the streets, thereby tackling the dog menace, and make the city safer for residents, added Mr. Shrivastava.
The NDMC’s in-house home guards, employed from the civic body’s temporary muster rolls, have previously served as gardeners and safai karamcharis. They have been deployed in two of the area’s largest parks — Nehru Park and Lodhi Gardens.
“We are building a ‘May I Help You’ force of in-house home guards. They will be trained to handle walkie-talkies, know basic first aid and also carry a whistle. They will be the interface between the civic body and the public.”
Forty home guards have been deployed to begin with, and this will be increased as part of a “dry run” in the week leading to Independence Day. In all, as many 700 personnel will be trained and deployed.
“The guards will be deployed next in Khan Market and Connaught Place. They will not only provide assistance, but also make sure things are under control. Their services will be especially useful when markets remain open till late and people can look to them for security,” he said.
“We are also looking into providing limited powers to these guards to fine people for littering and spitting.”
Further, noticing the number of late night walkers in the New Delhi area, the civic body is also considering keeping some of its parks open till late into the night with discreet lighting. “Perhaps, Nehru Park and Talkatora Gardens can be kept open with our in-house home guards stationed there for security purposes,” he said.
