Mumbai News: AWBI Directs Powai Society To Form Animal Welfare Committee After Alleged Dog Relocation Attempt, Feeder Harassment

Mumbai: The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has asked a Powai-based housing society to form an animal welfare committee (AWC) after one of its residents complained about the society’s management allegedly tried to relocate dogs and harrassed the feeder.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) also directed the society to form an AWC and educated the managing committee about the guidelines regarding stray animals.

AWBI, constituted under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying’s Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, has asked Powai’s Kanakia Silicon Valley society to form an AWC after the society’s resident Shalini Singh wrote to the authority alleging that the society’s managing committee and the residents tried to illegally relocate community dogs and harrassed the feeder.

According to the letter dated June 16, AWBI asked the society to form an AWC comprising of representatives from the chief veterinary officer, jurisdictional police, district or state-level society for prevention of cruelty to animals, a recognised animal welfare organisation, complainant and a representative of the resident welfare association.

The society has been asked to submit an action-taken report immediately to facilitate further action. It strictly instructed the society to not violate the Animal Birth Control Rules and other rules issued by the AWBI.

On the same day, the BMC’s veterinary health department also wrote to the managing committee of the society asking it to take immediate action on the dog welfare complaint and AWC formation. Additionally, it also educated the society with the AWBI guidelines regarding relocation, feeding and intimidation to community animals.

According to the document accessed by The Free Press Journal, Singh had registered a non-cognisable complaint with the Park Site police station against six society members on June 10 after they allegedly harassed her on the society’s WhatsApp group for feeding the community dogs. She had approached the Pure Animal Lovers (PAL) Foundation, which provided her with legal help.

Roshan Pathak, animal welfare advisor with PAL Foundation, claimed that the NGO will serve a legal notice to the society if it disregards the guidelines and harasses the feeder or the community animals.

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“The majority of society has an issue with stray animals and those who feed them. These highly qualified individuals in society create their own regulations, which are invalid everywhere, and they use them to torment animals and a feeder. An animal awareness program about animal guidelines should be maintained in such a society,” he said.