Tagged dogs left abandoned nr Shimla, no civic response 2-days after complaint
Shimla, July 24
Two days after a formal complaint was lodged with the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) over the abandonment of a group of four tagged dogs on the Badhari Airport Road near Jhatiya Devi, no official rescue operation or response has been received. The dogs are believed to have been abandoned three to four days ago.
The complaint was submitted by architect Aman Rajta, who informed the Municipal Corporation that several dogs carrying SMC tags had been left on the roadside in a distressed condition. He stated that the animals were frightened, weak, barely eating, and some were finding it difficult to walk.
Rajta urged the civic body to rescue the dogs, provide medical treatment, verify the tag numbers to identify their origin, and investigate how they came to be abandoned.
According to local residents, the dogs have been surviving in the area for the past three to four days. Despite the complaint being submitted two days ago and the matter being brought to the notice of the newly appointed SMC Commissioner, no action has reportedly been taken. The issue has also been highlighted in local newspapers.
Meanwhile, a local youth, Sonu, has taken temporary responsibility for four of the dogs by sheltering them near the Kali Temple at Badhari. Along with Aman Rajta, he has been providing food, including pedigree and biscuits, administering medicines, and treating the animals with anti-parasitic spray. Three of the rescued dogs are still wearing collars with SMC tags attached.
Local journalist Mohan Verma also contacted Rajeshwar Negi, a member of the Animal Welfare Board. Negi said that, as per Supreme Court directions, municipal authorities cannot relocate or abandon sterilised community dogs outside their original territories.
He assured that he would make every effort to trace the original location of the tagged dogs and help restore them to their designated area if they were illegally shifted.
Animal welfare activists have urged the Shimla Municipal Corporation to immediately rescue the remaining dogs, provide veterinary treatment, and investigate the circumstances under which the tagged animals were allegedly abandoned.
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