Delhi the capital city of India should have been the role model for other states because it is the headquarter of both the central govt and the Delhi govt but unfortunately both have failed the stray animals. Though the feeder passes have been issued but they are very few and the caregivers are feeding the animals from their own pockets. Just have a look at what some of the feeders are doing during the lockdown and what problems they are facing:
Niyati Roy Sinha a caregiver (pic in the post) stays in Delhi. Initially she used to feed around 40 to 50 dogs daily both near her house and near her office in Noida but after lockdown she is feeding as many stray animals as she can. Daily she feeds around 100 to 150 dogs and cows in Delhi who would have died of hunger had she not fed them.
Watch the video where the hungry cows are coming to eat the dog food which Niyati took for feeding the dogs.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10163301297425254&id=819235253
There is a special ministry by the name of Animal Husbandry and Dairying but they too seem to have turned a blind eye to the cattles.The ministry has not made any provision for stray cattles on the roads of India during the lockdown period. People like Niyati are feeding them. The cow which gives milk due to which the dairy trade is flourishing in India is dying on the streets without water and fodder. Is the ministry only to make money from cows and buffaloes? What about their duty and responsibility towards them?
Gaziabad (Delhi NCR - Uttar Pradesh)
Ghaziabad which was in news for dog cruelty recently has been badly affected. The situation there is worse than Delhi. According to Harry Chowdhary a caregiver and an animal rights activist there are no NGOs feeding in their area and the feeder passes issued by the govt administration are also only 5 to 10.
Wonder why did the administration issue passes in the first place when they had to issue only 10 passes? This is the height of hypocrisy. To watch the plight of caregivers and the stray animals in Ghaziabad kindly go on the following link:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/355493465008889/permalink/652307201994179/
Noida (Delhi NCR - Uttar Pradesh)
The situation in Noida is much better than Ghaziabad. Here apart from individual caregivers the animal.welfare NGOs are also feeding the stray animals. The Noida authorities have collaborated with Animal welfare NGOs in giving them the feeder passes. The House of Stray Animals (HSA) is an animal welfare NGO which is feeding around 1000 stray animals everyday. This includes both stray dogs and stray cattles. The founder of HSA Sanjay Mahapatra has said that his NGO has collaborated with the Noida authorities and have managed 30 feeder passes and in days to come shall get more passes to feed the animals. They are focusing on those animals who reside in industrial areas, market areas and highways. Due to lockdown many food joints (Dhabas) have been shut down which used to cater to stray animals.
https://twitter.com/aajtak/status/1247432003915411456?s=08
Similarly the president of PFA Gautam Budh Nagar Kaveri Rana Bhardwaj has said that they have ensured that stray animals do not go unfed in areas which have been declared hotspots.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1134581370216605&id=100009942577579
Noida authorities are definitely doing s great job. This is the least every state Govt could do. Coordinate with animal welfare NGOs in at least issuing feeder passes. This way passes will go only to genuine feeders who are want to feed the stray animals but finding it hard to feed. Wish the Uttar Pradesh Govt also gives it's assistance in providing food for the animals both in cash and kind.
In India due to lockdown many stray animals are left hungry and thirsty. With rising mercury the situation will only get worse.
There are also speculations that the lockdown will be extended by two weeks more. This means more financial and physical burden on the individual volunteers and the animal welfare NGOs who are feeding the animals.
It's time both the central govt and the state govts came out with a concrete plan of action to help the stray animals. The animals need both food and empathy to survive this lockdown. The govt just cannot be blind to their existence. Especially the Ministry of Animal Husbandry and Dairying and the Ministry of Environment and forest and climate change The animals are their responsibility and they should help them in this hour of crisis.