As part of Delhi Government's first policy on animal welfare, various recommendations, including birth control of monkeys, a new regime for sterilisation of stray dogs and electronic chips to identify owners of abandoned pets, were made on Wednesday during a meeting discussing the 'Animal Health and Welfare Policy 2018.'
The policy also proposed a cowshed at Ghumanhera where cows will be kept along with elderly people in a unique coexistence.
Delhi Cabinet Minister, Gopal Rai said, "There was no such policy before to consider animal welfare in entirety covering issuing like menace caused by monkeys and stray dogs. We aim to keep this policy open ended so that it is updated from time to time."
Discussing the menace caused by the abandoned animals, a suggestion to tag pets and cattle with electronic chips in order to identify their owners was also made in the meeting.
The policy provides for undertaking monkey birth control programme under animal birth control (ABC) initiatives. It observes that sterilisation of stray dogs under the ABC programme in Delhi through NGOs is not as per expectations.
"It should be further re-evaluated for its shortcomings and necessary measures should be taken to strengthen it," the policy draft said.
In order to strengthening infrastructure through a network of veterinary hospitals, polyclinics, aviaries, the plans to open new animal hospitals were also discussed. As a part of it, a veterinary hospital that will be operational round the clock will be inaugurated at Tis Hazari on January 16.
Apart from that, helpline for distressed animal and birds and ambulance service are other measures will also be taken, suggested the policy.
It has been suggested that the Animal Husbandry unit of Development Department should be named as Animal Health and Welfare Department, Rai said.
He said under the policy efforts will made to make Delhi rabies free through an effective check on stray dog menace. Setting up 12 check posts and quarantine facilities at the borders of Delhi are part of the policy.
