Shaggy stray dogs roaming around the streets of New Delhi are soon going to be a rare sight soon.
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has decided to train strays to create its own guard dog squad in order to enhance security.
A proposal in this regard has been forwarded by NDMC to Delhi Police and other authorities concerned. “We are trying to rope in police dog trainers to train and groom stray dogs in the NDMC area. We have also written to the Animal Welfare Board and have sought necessary permissions,” said Jalaj Shrivastava, Chairperson, NDMC. The move will address the twin-problem of security and dog menace in the posh area.
Explaining how NDMC plans to get hold of stray dogs and train them, Shrivastava said: “Our proposal is well within the boundaries of animal rights. We will adopt the strays and send them for training to Delhi Police. It is only going to better their lot.”
Significantly, after monkeys, it is the stray dog menace that tops the list of complaints from residents of the VVIP area. As of now, on receiving a complaint, the agency, because of a court directive, is not left with much choice but to take the dog away, sterilise it and leave it back at the same spot.
Not just this, the ‘guard dogs’ will be accompanied by NDMC’s home guards. The agency plans to train around 700 personnel and deploy them at various places including markets, to aid people. Called the ‘May I help you’ force, the first batch will be deployed at Khan Market and Connaught Place on Independence Day.
“The ‘May I help you’ force will be stationed at different markets and parks to attend to the public. It will provide a sense of security at night as they will carry walkie-talkies, whistles and will be trained in first-aid and soft skills,” said Shrivastava.
The plan is in line with NDMC’s proposal to extend market hours till 11 pm and restaurant timings till 1 am. Besides, it had already decided to keep parks under its jurisdiction open till 11 pm.
“At present, we deploy 40 of our personnel at various parks during the morning hours. The response has been good and we plan to extend this to markets too,” Shrivastava said.
The force will be selected from NDMC’s Temporary-Muster-Roll. launching the entire force is expected to take time and it may take off by March next year.