The transcript of the meeting
regarding Stray Dogs held on 22-11-05 at 4 pm at Karmayog
office, and from 5 pm onwards at the office of Mr. Ratho,
Additional Municipal Commissioner can be seen at
www.karmayog.com/dogs/straydogsmeeting.htm .
We thank Tanya Mahajan for the transcript.
As we saw in our discussions
and the various emails prior to the meeting, information about
policies and procedures for tackling stray dog related issues
are not existing or easily available. e.g. we could not find
the Dog Control Rules or High Court Orders on the net.
There is no policy or procedure document with BMC. There does
not seem to be a strategy or plans in place. Neither BMC nor
NGOs seem to have well-thought out reports on this. Some
info has now been put up on the Stray Dogs section in www.karmayog.com
So as agreed by Mr. Ratho,
the next step for us would be to form a formal group of NGOs
and other concerned citizens along with BMC officials to interact
with BMC, citizens, NGOs, etc.
The group could be involved
with the following:
1. Formulating policies, plans,
procedures, etc. pertaining to stray dogs.
2. Acting as a resource
for individuals and groups to answer questions pertaining
to stray dog policies, behaviour, sensitisation, etc. i.e.
answering questions / addressing Rotary Clubs / etc.
3. Acting as or creating a referral
point for citizens for guidance on whom to contact to inform
about:
- problems faced by specific dog(s)
- problems faced by citizens due to specific dogs
4. Interacting with
BMC to know about the effectiveness, problems, and plans
for the various measures being taken
Do keep in mind the thrust
would be towards sterilising stray dogs, and dealing with
rabid / vicious dogs. And not for killing / removing stray
dogs.
From our experience in
the NGO Cleanliness Group, we have learnt that it is necessary
to have a formal and committed group. It is also necessary
to have some funds to cover secretariat type functions
and activities. Accordingly, a membership structure is
proposed as follows:
Membership Fees for the
NGO Stray Dogs Committee till 31 March 2006:
- individuals
Rs. 100
- NGOs
Rs. 250
- commercial
orgs Rs. 500
All information, proceedings
of discussions, decisions, etc. would be put online at
www.karmayog.com
and would thus be publicly accessible for anyone to read
and respond. So one doesn't necessarily have to be a member
to give views or to know what's being planned or is happening.
But meetings will be only for members.
Please make your cheques
in favour of 'Shri R. O. Somani Charitable Trust' and
mail them to:
Mr. Vinay Somani
Shri R. O. Somani Charitable Trust
Shreeniwas House, 2nd floor
(Behind Bombay Gym)
H. Somani Road, Fort
Mumbai 400 001
Contact 22940109 (For enquiries between 2 to 3 pm)
www.karmayog.com
All above details are in the Contact Us button on the
site.
Please give your feedback
and suggestions.
Regards
Vinay
Other Committees for Stray
Dogs
There seem to be a few groups
pertaining to stray dogs.
1. Urban Devp Committee - at state
level - meets once in 3 or 6 months.
2. High Court appointed committee
- - to implement High Court Guidelines 1998 --- 15 people
incl. of bmc & ngos
3. BMC & NGO Sterilisation
Committee - meets monthly - 6 NGOs, 6 BMC officers
4. Animal NGOs in Mumbai - informal
monthly meetings when an NGO has an issue to discuss - about
10 NGOs
5. Times Forum for Animals - planning legal
cell against cruelty, education awareness, helpline.
There are 6 NGOs in Mumbai doing
sterilisation of dogs - WSD, IDA, AIWA, SPCA, PALS, Ahimsa
The above is unverified. It would
be useful to know more about the objectives and the outcomes
of these and any other groups.
vinay
