Maneka Gandhi Slams SC Order to Relocate Delhi’s Stray Dogs, Calls It ‘Impractical’

Former Union Minister and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi has strongly criticised the Supreme Court’s recent directive to relocate all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR to dedicated shelters within eight weeks, terming the judgement “impractical” and “given in anger.”

In a video statement released by NGO People for Animals, Gandhi questioned the feasibility of the court’s order, saying, “Perhaps this is a judgement given in anger because it’s not technically feasible.”

Pointing to the massive scale of the task, she explained, “You have three lakh dogs in Delhi. To get them all off the roads, you’ll have to make 3,000 pounds, each with drainage, water, a shed, a kitchen, and a watchman. That will cost about Rs 15,000 crore. Does Delhi have Rs 15,000 crore for this?”

Gandhi also highlighted the extensive land and operational costs involved. “Each pound would require half an acre to one acre of land and cost approximately five crores per month to operate. Do we have that kind of land? You have a thousand acres lying around. Each centre to run will cost you about five crores a month. Does government have that kind of money? No,” she said.

The activist dismissed the basis of the judgement, claiming it was influenced by “fake news” regarding a dog attack. She insisted, “The girl died of meningitis and her parents have confirmed it.” Gandhi estimated the total cost of implementing the directive at around Rs 20,000 crores.

Warning about potential unintended consequences, she predicted that removing the dogs from Delhi would create a vacuum rapidly filled by stray dogs from neighbouring regions. “Within 48 hours, this city will be full of 3 lakh more dogs coming from Ghaziabad, Faridabad, the villages. Because there is food available here,” she stated.

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