Dharamshala, former Himachal Pradesh chief minister and former Union minister Shanta Kumar, on Thursday said that the growing menace of stray animals in the country, especially dogs and cows, reflects a serious failure of governance in the world’s largest democracy.
People around the world will be surprised to know that the issue of stray dogs has repeatedly reached the Supreme Court of India, he said in a statement issued here.
He said the primary responsibility of the Supreme Court was to protect the Constitution and ensure governance in accordance with constitutional principles.
He wondered why civil authorities and governments failed to address this issue effectively.
He noted that thousands of dog bite cases are reported across the country every year, while stray animals also cause traffic disruption in many cities and towns. He added that in many rural areas, farmers were forced to abandon agricultural activities due to the increasing threat of stray animals.
Shanta Kumar further pointed out that India has thousands of temples with assets worth millions of rupees. He suggested that temples play a constructive role by creating and supporting gaushals, ensuring better utilization of devotees’ donations while also contributing to social welfare.
“It is unfortunate that cows, revered in Indian culture as Gau Mata, are often left wandering on roads and rummaging through garbage in search of food,” said Shanta Kumar, who described the situation of stray animals as a “huge management failure.”
He also wondered why municipal corporations, municipal councils and various government departments, despite their large budgets, failed to work collectively to address the problem of stray dogs.
He believed that the government could significantly control the number of stray dogs through sterilization campaigns, establishing designated shelters and designated areas for stray animals.
He urged the government to formulate an effective mechanism to use available resources to address the issue of stray animals and improve public safety and civil administration.
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