Life took an unwanted turn in Pratima Devi’s life when her makeshift shelter and jhuggi shop where she sheltered more than
100 dogs was allegedly demolished by MCD workers on Wednesday, midnight.
Locally known as “Amma”, Devi in her settlement which is behind Anupam Complex in South Delhi Saket provided care and shelter to stray dogs and the incident has created a huge stir among animal and civic activists.
Devi who migrated to Delhi from Nandigram, West Bengal works as waste picker and earns primarily to take care of her dogs. As per Pawan Kumar, who helps ‘Amma’ run her Dog shelter, no prior notice was given before the demolition.
Interestingly, Devi’s shelter was also demolished in November 2017 by the erstwhile South MCD, but with the help of animal lovers she was able to erect a makeshift shelter from salvaged rubble and restarted operation. Many have taken to Twitter and other social media platforms to amplify the issue and express distress and disappointment over it.
A decent crowd of
people unhappy with the incident was present at the demolished site in Saket on Wednesday in support of Devi terming the whole move as callous and unruly.
In solidarity with Devi, People for Animals India NGO spokesperson Maneka
Sanjay Gandhi spoke to MLA Atishi requesting her to
immediately address the issue in a bid to provide relief to the old lady.
“The shanty was removed as it was illegal construction on government property. We (MCD) were informed that people were living there and we reached out to concerned authorities like DUSIB
to take appropriate measures. Also, we have appealed to several animal welfare NGOs to facilitate the process of adoption for the dogs found in the
area,” said Amit Kumar,
Director of Press and Information, MCD.
Devi on Wednesday was permitted by the Delhi High Court to live under a tarpaulin shelter for the time being.
Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri, while dealing with the 80-year-old’s petition against the demolition, directed the maintenance of status
quo and asked the Delhi government and Municipal Corporation of Delhi to explore the possibility of her rehabilitation and also file their response.
“Keeping in view the facts and circumstances of the case and the contention of the petitioner that the impugned action has been taken by respondent No. 1 (MCD) without any prior notice, this court deems it expedient to direct that the respondent shall maintain status quo till the next date of hearing and to overcome the immediate need for the shelter, the petitioner shall
also be permitted to put a tarpaulin as an interim measure,” the court said.
“In the meantime, respondent Nos. 1 and 2 (MCD and Delhi government), without prejudice to the rights and contentions of either of the
parties, shall also explore the possibility of providing for petitioner’s rehabilitation,” added the court. The court also issued a notice to the Animal Welfare Board of India.
The petitioner, presented by lawyer Vaibhav Gaggar, argued that the demolition left her
without a roof in harsh winters and urged the court to allow her to put a tarpaulin as an interim measure.