NT Reporter | Panaji
The District Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Goa) has asked the Directorates of Education and Higher Education to issue an urgent clarification after several schools and colleges banned feeding community dogs, terming it illegal.
The ban violates the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules 2023, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and the government’s own instructions, and amount to animal cruelty, said SPCA, adding that as per the rules institutions may only secure their campus and report dogs to local bodies, not punish feeders or stop feeding.
DSPCA said that the November 12 letter by the Department of Urban Development directs Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) — not educational institutions — to remove dogs found on campuses and shift them to designated shelters.
Stating that institutions are only required to secure their premises, such as by fencing, and report the presence of dogs through a nodal officer, it said, “They cannot ban feeding, punish feeders, or impose any animal-cruelty measures. Feeding must be allowed at designated spots as required under Rule 20 of ABC Rules, 2023. Any harassment of animals or feeders is a criminal offence,” it said. In its letter to both directorates, the organisation said that many institutions have wrongly interpreted recent government directives and have started punishing staff and students for feeding dogs.
DSPCA said the issue came to light after complaints and evidence, including a circular issued by Ponda Education Society’s Ravi S Naik College of Arts & Science on November 13, which threatened disciplinary action against feeders in the name of following Supreme Court orders.
