BJP slams AAP-led MCD over stray dog menace

Ahead of G20 summit, BJP has criticised AAP for its alleged failure to sterilise stray dogs and control their population.

NEW DELHI

In the run-up to the G20 summit next month, a war of words has broken out over the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s (MCD) handling of the stray dog menace, with the Opposition BJP adopting an aggressive approach towards the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for its alleged failure to sterilise dogs and controlling their population which has increased significantly in recent times. Councillors of different parties have blamed each other for the stray dog menace issue. Opposition councillors criticised the MCD mayor for not taking any action over the menace.

BJP leader and former Union minister Vijay Goel joined his party leaders in the MCD and hit out at the Aam Aadmi Party leadership for withdrawing their order to remove stray dogs from a prominent location in Delhi ahead of the upcoming G20 summit. He said MCD municipalities have the responsibility to deal with the stray dog issue, but in Delhi, the civic agency has failed to do it.

While speaking to The Sunday Guardian, Goel said: “We have also led a movement against these stray dogs and asked the MCD to sterilise them and vaccinate them with anti-rabies shots so that their population remains under control. But this AAP-led MCD hasn’t done its work.” He added that the MCD has outsourced to NGOs and private vets the task of sterilisation work for stray animals. They are also not doing it properly, and due to this, thousands of stray animals are unsterilized, moving on the streets of Delhi and attacking innocent children, women, and senior citizens.

Goel said that seeing that the G20 is around the corner, MCD desperately issued the order to remove stray dogs from the prominent areas of Delhi, but soon had to revise the order under pressure from animal activists and dog lovers. He added that it “shows you how irresponsibly and carelessly MCD is working”. He added that that the stray animals need proper sterilisation as their population is continuously increasing day by day.

Congress councillor Vedpal also slammed AAP leaders in MCD. He said they don’t have any work experience, and not only this, they don’t know how to work. The mayor is inexperienced, and the stray dog menace issue proves that. He continued by saying that MCD lacked the required number of dog shelters. They confined 50 dogs in a cage that could only hold about 10 dogs. He added that they are only making an effort to impress foreign visitors and delegates to India during the G20; otherwise, they won’t do anything.

Similarly, a BJP councillor had also criticised the AAP-led MCD. Yogesh Verma, councillor of the Ashok Vihar (Keshavpuram) area, said that MCD is acting like a dictator and issuing notice without thinking about the pros and cons of the order. He said that the Mayor is immature; she first issues an order, then takes it back after some time. It shows the immaturity of the Mayor and the AAP-led MCD, which takes decisions without considering the facts. He further said that they need the willpower to work, but they are lacking in it. Yogesh Verma said, “In the last eight months, I have had several questions regarding the closure of the sterilisation centre. If they sterilised these stray animals in time, then the scenario would be different today.”

Councillors and leaders of key committees from AAP refused to comment on the matter. The MCD of Delhi had revised its order to remove street dogs from prominent locations in Delhi for less than a week instead of six weeks after facing criticism from activists and residents. The order originally stated that the MCD would remove stray dogs from several locations in Delhi for six weeks. The MCD revised the order on Friday and reduced the period to less than a week. The revised order now states that only sterilisation and immunisation of street dogs will be carried out from 4 to 30 August. The order passed with an eye on the G20 Summit to be held in Delhi in September, was aimed at ensuring that delegates and tourists visiting the capital do not face any “inconvenience”.

A massive drive would be carried out with the help of NGOs and private veterinary doctors from 4-7 September 2023. All the stray dogs picked up from these locations shall be kept at the ABC centres for their further care and feeding until the completion of the G-20 summit.