Though the State government has allotted an animal shelter in Upper Shillong to temporary house street dogs, the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) has said unless a permanent place is allocated by the government, the problem will recur after 60 days.
In its submission before the division bench of Chief Justice Indra Prasanna Mukerji and Justice Wanlura Diengdoh today, during hearing of a PIL on the matter, the SMB said only 20 street dogs could be kept in the temporary shelter.
The court noted that the issue should have been raised during a meeting held February 12, 2025 between the government and the board. Hence it directed the State and the board to hold another meeting to discuss the problems and take a decision for permanent placement of the stray dogs within 60 days, or within such extended time if any, allowed by the State to keep the street dogs in its shelter.
The court said the officials at the meetings may consider permitting more temporary accommodations to be set up by the board to accommodate the street dogs and in the meantime, a permanent place for keeping them may be identified and steps taken for acquiring it and for construction of a proper shelter.
The government and the board have also been asked to jointly file a report before the court before the next hearing on May 8, 2025.
