Delhi CM holds meeting to discuss stray dog menace

New Delhi, Jul 31 (PTI) The Delhi government is mulling a change in law to deal with the stray dog menace in the city, a source said on Thursday.

The government is likely to approach the court with a suggestion for changes that allow such dogs' relocation, the person said.

The issue was discussed in a meeting attended by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday.

"Various options to deal with the incidents of stray dog bites in the city were discussed in the meeting. The option of relocating the canines was mentioned, but no final decision has been made as the existing legal provisions allow it," a top government source said.

It's the first time that the courts have taken a "serious view" of the stray dog bite menace, and there is hope that a solution might be found, he said.

The existing Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, provide for the sterilisation of stray dogs but do not allow their relocation.

The death of a six-year-old girl due to rabies after a stray dog bite has sparked outrage in residents of Pooth Kalan in Rohini.

A Supreme Court bench took suo Motu cognisance of the incident and noted that hundreds of dog bite cases are reported daily in Delhi and its outskirts, often leading to rabies, with children and elderly people being the most vulnerable. PTI VIT VN VN