Dear Fellow Residents,

Our city Indore, a place we all strive to make progressive and clean, faces a significant and often heartbreaking challenge: the escalating issue of stray animals. Every day, we witness countless dogs, cats, and other animals roaming our streets, facing hunger, disease, injuries from accidents, and, sadly, sometimes even cruelty. Their voiceless suffering is a call to action we cannot ignore.

This isn't just an animal welfare concern; it's a community-wide issue that impacts us all. Unmanaged stray animal populations can lead to:

Increased risks of road accidents: Animals darting onto roads pose a danger to themselves and to commuters.
Potential for disease transmission: Unvaccinated and unsterilized animals can contribute to the spread of zoonotic diseases like rabies, posing a public health risk.
Hygiene concerns: Improper disposal of waste and animal faeces can impact public cleanliness and health.
Animal suffering: These vulnerable creatures endure immense hardship—lack of consistent food and water, exposure to harsh weather conditions, and often, deliberate abuse or neglect.
Human-animal conflict: Growing populations can sometimes lead to fear and negative interactions between residents and animals, creating tension within neighborhoods.
As an intern with "Home For Voiceless Foundation," an NGO dedicated to animal welfare, I see firsthand the urgent need for a structured, compassionate, and sustainable approach to managing stray animals in our community. While local NGOs and dedicated individual feeders do commendable work, their efforts alone are not enough to address the scale of the problem. We urgently need a comprehensive strategy from our city's leadership.

We urge our city's leadership to prioritize and fund humane stray animal management, in direct compliance with:

Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023: Mandate the expansion and effective implementation of ABC and Anti-Rabies Vaccination (ARV) programs. These rules explicitly prohibit the indiscriminate killing of stray dogs and mandate humane sterilization and vaccination as the primary method for population control.
PCA Act, 1960 & ABC Rules, 2023:Designated Feeding Zones: Establish hygienic feeding zones in collaboration with RWAs, supporting Rule 20 of the ABC Rules, 2023, which addresses the feeding of community animals and assigns responsibility to local bodies.
Centralized Helpline & Rescue Unit: Create a 24/7 helpline and responsive rescue unit for injured animals, aligning with Section 3 of the PCA Act, which states the duty to prevent unnecessary pain or suffering.
Community Awareness Campaigns: Launch public awareness on responsible pet ownership and humane interaction, reinforcing our Constitutional Fundamental Duty (Article 51A(g)) to have compassion for all living creatures.