Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has set the process in motion for establishing an eco-friendly dog pound on vacant wetland land beside Dhapa, with the committee constituted for implementation of the project carrying out a field visit on Tuesday to survey and demarcate the area.
“The field visit has paved the way for preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the project. Directions have been issued to the concerned engineers to start preparing the DPR. The proposed facility will be able to shelter more than 4,000 dogs,” said Member Mayor-in-Council (MmiC) Ashim Basu.
The move has gained urgency following a recent order of the Supreme Court directing all states and Union Territories to “forthwith” remove stray dogs from the premises of educational institutions, hospitals, sports complexes, bus stands and depots, and railway stations, and relocate them to designated shelters after due sterilisation and vaccination in accordance with the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, framed under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
A survey conducted in 2007 had estimated the number of stray dogs in Kolkata at around 55,000. At present, the city has two dog pounds at Dhapa and Entally, which together can accommodate only 280 dogs.
Basu, along with local councillor Sandipan Saha and senior KMC officials from the Health, Environment and Civil Engineering departments, was present during the field visit.
“We do not want to confine dogs in cages. These are stray animals and they need large open spaces to roam freely. The idea is to create a facility where people from the localities from where the dogs are picked up can also visit them. Support from NGOs and other donors will be required to set up and operate such a facility,” a KMC official said.