Kolkata, Aug 21 (IANS) The Calcutta High Court on Thursday directed the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) to submit reports on the dog sterilisation programme in Kolkata and Bidhannagar areas within four weeks.

The division bench of Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Smita Das De also sought a response from the state government in this regard. The directives from the high court came in a PIL filed by advocate Akash Sharma, who had sought urgent action to curb the street dog menace in the city.

In the petition, the advocate alleged that the civic authorities of Kolkata and Bidhannagar (Salt Lake) have failed to implement the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, on systematic sterilisation and vaccination of stray dogs.

In his PIL, he urged the court to direct the state government to launch mass sterilisation and vaccination programmes, designated feeding zones and state-run shelters for strays.

The PIL was filed weeks after the Supreme Court ordered that stray dogs in Delhi and the national capital region be removed to shelters within eight weeks. The Apex Court order had sparked widespread outrage among animal rights activists and pet lovers.

The plea also highlights the alarming increase in dog bite cases and rabies-related fatalities, as reported by the Central government’s PIB report, underscoring the need for judicial oversight.

According to the plea, the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying’s press release dated April 1, 2025, India recorded 37,15,713 dog bite cases in 2024, with 4,29,664 cases in January 2025 alone. Suspected human rabies deaths were 54 in 2024 and 1 in January 2025.

It is stated that in West Bengal, 76,486 dog bite cases were reported in 2024 and 10,264 in January 2025, with one suspected rabies death in 2024.

The PIL demands nationwide anti-rabies vaccination drives, Animal Birth Control (ABC) programmes, public awareness campaigns, and stricter enforcement of animal welfare laws to ensure safer communities and humane treatment of strays.

However, the PIL does not seek elimination of stray dogs, but rather humane control of the population through sterilisation, vaccination, immunisation and deworming as required by rules.

The matter has been posted for hearing next on September 18.

–IANS

sch/dan