Whose responsibility is it to feed community dogs in cities?

Central government mandates feeding stray animals in Chennai apartments, sparking debate among residents and associations on implementation and practicality.

While pet owners in Chennai face difficulties in obtaining permission to keep their beloved animals in apartments, the Central government’s notification has made it mandatory for residents’ welfare associations and apartment owners to provide food to stray animals on their premises. This has led to a debate.

Rule 20 of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, titled ‘Feeding of Community Animals’, states: “It shall be the responsibility of the Resident Welfare Association or Apartment Owner Association or local body’s representative of that area to make necessary arrangements for feeding of community animals residing on the premises or in that area. They shall designate feed spots and timings based on the dog population in the locality and also keep in mind it is not close to children’s play areas, or areas where kids or elderly people frequent.”

S. Muralidharan, an activist in Chennai, filed a public interest litigation petition challenging the constitutional validity of Rule 20. The Second Division Bench of Justices R. Mahadevan and Mohammed Shaffiq on February 27 directed Central government senior standing counsel V. Chandrasekharan to take notice on behalf of the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and obtain instructions from the AWBI by March 15.

Meanwhile, many associations say they are unaware of such regulations. T. Gunaseelan, assistant secretary of GNG Colony Welfare Association at Ambattur, says awareness must be created among the people before the rules are enforced. “The area that developed recently has a majority of middle-income families. Many residents are concerned only about labour issues or civic problems. Such regulations will not be known to them. These rules must be propagated for better implementation,” he says.

V.S. Jayaraman of the T. Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association argues that managing stray dogs is not possible when even pet dogs are considered a nuisance. “Feeding one stray dog can attract many more dogs, some of which could be infected with rabies. Moreover, some people abandon their pets, which become strays. This is not right.” He says the new rule is impracticable as only a few individuals in an association may agree to it, while many others will object.

A. Saravana, an animal volunteer for the Greater Chennai Corporation’s Zone XV and a resident of Thoraipakkam, has brought to light an issue concerning the displacement of animals due to the construction of apartments in the area.

Welcoming the rule, he says, “The vast land turned into apartments was once home to many creatures. While some apartment complexes allow the animals to reside in their car parks, most of them force the stray animals onto the streets, an act of cruelty. Many people claim that these stray animals, especially dogs, are aggressive and attack even the dormant ones. However, it is important to coexist harmoniously with other creatures as the city does not belong to humans alone. Dogs are territorial creatures, and removing them from their territories can cause them distress.”