The phone never stops ringing at Society For Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Noida, Sector 94. But this hospital-shelter is staring at the prospect of closure, as Noida Authority has stopped releasing monthly funds to it over reports of alleged irregularities. The funds are meant for the rescue and rehabilitation of injured animals and also for birth control.
The shelter receives 50 calls every day on average with requests to pick up injured or abandoned animals.
Anuradha Dogra, a member of the managing committee, complained, “We have not been able to pay our staff salaries, as the shelter has nothing left in its bank account. In September 2016, Noida Authority paid us Rs 10,00,000 as monthly expenditure for the previous month — and that was the last we received.”
Currently, there are more than 1,000 animals at the shelter, but medicine and food supplies are running dangerously low — so much so that it could get over in two days’ time, confirms an on-duty doctor on condition of anonymity.
He added that the management had been borrowing medicines and animal food from various sources, and that’s how the shelter had managed to survive thus far. But even those who had been giving things on credit, including willing shopkeepers, were no longer doing so.
Atul Kumar, a resident of Sector 44, said, “I have been coming here with a pup for treatment. It was attacked by other strays. Where will people like us go if this shelter shuts down? The Authority should immediately release funds to SPCA.”
Another Noida resident, who doesn’t wish to be identified, added, “These animals don’t have anywhere to go. Noida Authority can’t just stop providing funds!”
The Authority, however, has a different story to tell. It says it received complaints regarding SPCA’s functioning, including reports of misappropriation, and thus, stopped the funds.
A joint meeting was held between the Authority higher officials and members of the SPCA management on January 20 at the Noida Authority office.
Authority CEO Deepak Agarwal has fixed another meeting for January 27. He said he would look into the details of the expenses, and only then order the release of funds.
Surprisingly, when City Spidey contacted RS Yadav, a project engineer of Noida Authority who also looks after animal birth control, he seemed clueless about the issue.
