Srinagar: Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, and renowned animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi, on Thursday, said that Srinagar will now witness a disciplined dog sterilisation programme to yield positive results.
She was speaking to media persons during an event “Let’s Co-exist” was organised to celebrate the spirit of living and thriving on a shared planet and the responsibility that humans have towards non-human neighbors.
Maneka Gandhi, who was the chief guest of the function, discussed various issues about Human-animal conflict, sterilisation and also talked about implementing a disciplined dog sterilization programme in Srinagar.
“If the sterilisation programme will be implemented in a proper and disciplined way… we will have good results. I extensively discussed the issue today, and the SMC officials seem to be very keen on tackling the issue. I have also addressed the sterilisation issue in Srinagar, and now the SMC team will do it in a proper way, and within a year, you will see the results. The Human-Dog conflict will be also tackled here,” Gandhi said.
In her inspiring address, she emphasised the importance of advocating for animal rights and exercising compassion towards all living beings. ‘Our treatment of animals is not only a reflection of our moral values but also significantly influences our society’s overall harmony and peace.”
While talking about the dog sterilisation center in Jammu, she said that there is a proper mechanism to tackle the issue there, and ‘that is why we don’t see complaints from Jammu.’
Gandhi also visited Tengpora dog sterilisation center. “It is a good facility that the SMC has created there, and it will help in tackling the issue. We discussed in detail how to carry forward the programme for positive results,” she added.
Gandhi also talked about garbage management and its importance.
“Municipal corporations across India are getting better at garbage management, which is also important. In addition to this, the citizens of this country have to show responsibility and not throw garbage on the roads. Everything has to be done in a proper way and to ensure that citizens also have to play their role,” she said.
Meanwhile, J&K’s first Animal Ambulance was donated by a USA-based Kashmiri Professor, Vasant Dhar, who is a professor at the Stern School of Business and the Centre for Data Science at New York University. Dhar was also the Guest of honor of the event.
The event was organised by Kashmir Animal Welfare Foundation and Stray World in collaboration with Animal Rescue Kashmir. The organisers said that the focus of the event was on collective consciousness towards the plight of animals and their rights, the need for sterilisation, Cruelty-free practices, and Animal adoption and rescues. Many Senior officials from Srinagar Administration and Srinagar Municipal Corporation attended the event.
The participants shared valuable insights, highlighting positive outcomes that can emerge from embracing a compassionate and respectful approach towards animals. They also discussed practical measures and initiatives that can be undertaken to promote coexistence and ensure the well-being of all creatures who share our planet.