HC Lifts Stay On Stray Dog Sterilisation As Odisha Govt Forms Panel

Cuttack: The Orissa High Court has lifted the stay order on sterilisation of stray dogs in the state, paving the way for the resumption of the process.

The stay was lifted after the Odisha government submitted an affidavit in the HC stating that a state-level monitoring and implementation committee for Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme has been formed to regulate the sterilisation of stray dogs.

It may be noted here that the Supreme Court had issued a directive to all the states to constitute a state level monitoring committee for the Animal Birth Control Programme (ABC). The ABC involves a process of sterilisation to control the population of stray dogs coupled with and anti-rabies vaccination.

In the backdrop of this directive, a petition had been moved in the Orissa HC alleging that the state government had been undertaking dog sterilisation without forming a committee. The HC had then issued a stay order on July 6, 2023 on the sterilisation drive including Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) animal birth control (ABC) programme.

With the High Court lifting the stay order, the state government is now likely to resume sterilisation drive and keep the stray dog population under control in different cities and towns.