High Court for urgent care, better shelter for animals stuck at Raipur Kalan SPCA

Interim bid mandates diet, cleanable water, aesculapian attraction and due structure for animals shifted to Raipur Kalan facility

Photo for representational intent only. iStock

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the UT Administration to guarantee availability of cleanable water, due diet, aesculapian attraction and well-ventilated accommodation for animals shifted to the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) installation astatine Raipur Kalan, pursuing a PIL alleging systemic neglect and inhuman conditions.

The bid was passed during the archetypal proceeding of a nationalist involvement petition filed by Sehjeevi Trust, which alleged that authorities had abdicated their statutory responsibilities nether carnal payment laws. The adjacent proceeding is scheduled for July 29.

The tribunal passed the directions aft elder advocator Anand Chhibbar with counsel Ateev Sandhu, appearing for the petitioner, apprised it of “appalling” conditions astatine the shelter. Despite superior irregularities flagged successful the Animal Welfare Board of India’s inspection study successful 2020, nary corrective enactment was taken for implicit 5 years, the petitioner submitted.

The PIL has sought contiguous entree to unfastened abstraction for animals, enhanced budgetary allocation for nutrient and medicines, an enquiry into years of administrative neglect and alleged embezzlement, and aboriginal completion of repairs astatine the archetypal Sector 38 facility. It besides seeks accountability of officials for prolonged mismanagement.

The petition pointed to overcrowding, deficiency of sanitation, nary designated defecation area, restricted movement, spike successful mortality rate, lack of CCTV surveillance, and inadequate aesculapian infrastructure astatine the Raipur Kalan site. Even volunteers person reportedly been denied entree owed to the remoteness of the caller location.

The animals were relocated to Raipur Kalan—a installation meant for sterilizing stray dogs—not for semipermanent housing, aft repair enactment was projected astatine the Sector 38 SPCA shelter. Over 2 months since the move, the structure continues to run nether “inhumane and unsuitable” conditions, the petition noted.

Sehjeevi Trust said the concern violates Sections 3 and 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, which mandate attraction and prohibit confinement and neglect of animals.