In keeping with Delhi High Court guidelines that deem feeding and taking care of area strays legal, the managing committee of East End Apartments in Mayur Vihar Phase I has earmarked four spots for stray feeding.
The decision was taken during a meeting held yesterday. It was also made clear that not complying with the guidelines would call for punitive action from the committee.
The identification of the areas was done by the managing committee in the presence of an official of the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), a police official from New Ashok Nagar police station and animal lovers in the society.
The spots include one near the water tank at Block 14; second is close to Gate 4; third, at the corner between Block 20 and 21; and the last one is in the corner of the a park near Gate 2.
All the spots are relatively secluded, and hence, pose fewer chances of animal-human conflict. The animals are to be fed twice daily before 6 am and after 10 pm.
Rishika Singh, a resident who actively participated in the development, said these times were ideal as there are less people around, especially schoolchildren and senior citizens.
But she believes that just fixing feeding zones or time is not enough. “To contain the population of dogs, just feeding spots won’t help. There’s dire need to sterilise these dogs —we are working on it.”
However, a section of residents are skeptical about the success of the plan.
“Dogs are possessive for their living area — they are very territorial. They do not usually leave their area even while looking for food,” said a dog lover on condition of anonymity.
Residents are also scared of stray dogs roaming in the society, as incidents of stray attacks are common. And feeding them regularly would keep their aggression under control, feel some.
“You can’t stop them from moving around. We have to create an environment where lives of both strays and residents are protected,” said Manoj Kumar, a resident of Block 12, who feeds six to seven dogs regularly.
Talking to City Spidey for an earlier report, vice-president of East End Apartments managing committee, JP Verma, had said, “The number of dog-bite cases has increased in the past few years, and therefore, the managing committee has decided to come out with the proper plan to ensure the safety of residents.”
The decision taken yesterday is part of that roadmap.
