A dog, they say, is man’s best friend. But in the case of Noida's strays, it can become too much of a good thing.
At a meeting of representatives from 36 Noida RWAs in Sector 50 on Saturday, it was decided that they would put forth a demand in writing to Noida Authority to speed up the process of sterilisation of stray animals.
Vimal Sharma, president of the Sector 50 RWA, said, “Representatives will meet Rama Raman, CEO of Noida Authority, on May 11 with their demands. They will urge him to give RWAs power to monitor sterilising agencies, which should only be paid when the RWA is satisfied with the sterilisation. This will bring a measure of transparency to the process." He added that a committee of four members from each RWA should be set up to supervise the sterilisation work done by the agencies and coordinate with them to ensure that no dog was left unvaccinated or unsterilised.
Rishipal Singh Awana, president of the Sector 19 RWA, said that SPCA, the agency Noida Authority had tasked with the sterilisation of stray dogs, had failed to bring about any change as far as birth control was concerned. “The population of stray dogs has increased in almost all sectors of Noida. RWAs will put forward a proposal for Noida Authority to divide the city into five zones and add four more sterilising agencies for a quicker and more efficient process.”
Though not all dogs are unfriendly, there are some that turn aggressive and can be risky to have around in a residential area. In such cases, controlling the population of stray dogs becomes imperative.
NP Singh, president of Federation of Noida RWAs, said he would meet Meneka Gandhi, Minister of Women and Child Development and a noted animal activist, to apprise her of the situation. “The work of animal welfare activists is much more than taking poeple to task for treating animals badly. They have to work with residents to build a community that is both animal-friendly and resident-safe.”
