After 26 dogs in Goregaon's Nesco Exhibition Centre died of starvation in July due to a feeding ban by the centre’s employees, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has recently issued a notice to Nesco to provide feeding spots to dogs.
The death of 26 dogs in Nesco Exhibition Centre in July had created a widespread outrage among animal lovers as the untoward incident had happened after a management employee and a security guard at the exhibition centre had allegedly prevented an animal lover from feeding around 40 dogs living in the campus. The Vanrai police had also booked the employees for allegedly preventing the feeding of dogs.
Pure Animal Lovers (PAL) foundation had followed the matter and through advocate Preeti Salaskar sent a legal notice to Nesco Centre, BMC and police after the Nesco Centre started allegedly harassing the feeders again. As the Nesco centre and police failed to take any steps according to the organisation’s demand to direct the exhibition centre to designate a feeding spot, they followed up with BMC, which issued a notice to the exhibition centre.
On October 10, the assistant general manager of BMC’s Veterinary Health Department issued a notice to the chairman of Nesco park citing PAL Foundation’s complaint. The notice said that there is no law that prohibits the feeding of animals and citizens who wish to do so are performing a duty cast upon them by the Indian Constitution of showing compassion to all living creatures.
The notice highlighted guidelines for the management in regards to feeding of stray animals in the premises. It has directed the Nesco authorities to earmark feeding spots for stray animals. “Feeding times should be fixed and preferably be done when the density of population tends to be minimal. Feeding must be undertaken in the most hygienic manner,” read BMC’s notice.
Roshan Pathak, legal advisor of PAL Foundation, said, “These are government rules which say that providing feeding spots to animals is mandatory in such premises irrespective of the property being owned by a society, government or a private company. If animals live in the premises, nobody can relocate them and it is their right to have a designated feeding spot.”
