The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and the State Animal Husbandry Department on Tuesday found themselves at loggerheads with each other before the Madras High Court on the issue of the alleged ill treatment of stray dogs on the sprawling IIT-M campus.
Appearing before the first Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice P.D. Audikesavalu, who were seized of a public interest litigation petition, Additional Government Pleader C. Harsha Raj said 57 dogs had died on the campus over 13 months, and the numbers were quite alarming. He said a committee that conducted inspections on November 29 and 30 on the IIT-M campus had found that the major clinical conditions encountered by the dogs were wounds, respiratory diseases and helminthiasis. These conditions directly point to poor sanitation hygiene in the dog shelters, he said.
On the other hand, a counsel representing AWBI said an inspection was conducted by the board this February, and no such ill treatment to dogs was seen. He said the stray dogs were being taken care of by the IIT-M management, and there were absolutely no complaints about their condition.
The judges adjourned the case to Thursday.
