Gangtok, Nov 24: The District Administration held a meeting on Monday at the District Administrative Centre under the chairmanship of District Collector Dhiraj Subedi to review actionable measures following the Supreme Court’s directives on stray dog management, as highlighted in the writ petition titled “City Hounded by Strays, Kids Pay Price.” The meeting aimed at strengthening district-level preparedness and coordinated efforts to address risks posed by stray dogs.

During the discussion, Subedi emphasized the appointment of nodal officers in relevant departments to ensure effective coordination and stressed the need for awareness on issues such as proper food waste management, which contributes to the stray dog problem.

The officials proposed forming a District Monitoring Committee with representatives from Animal Husbandry, Health and Family Welfare, Rural Development, Education, LR&DMD, NHIDCL, Roads & Bridges, Urban Development, and Police departments. The committee will monitor, report, and take timely action on stray dog-related issues and waste management across the district.

Department heads shared their inputs and agreed on the importance of sustained and coordinated efforts to protect public safety while ensuring animal welfare in compliance with the Supreme Court’s directives.

Officials present included Additional Director (AH&VS) Dr Kishore Thapa, Additional Director (Health & Family Welfare) Dr Menuka Tamang, Assistant Superintendent of Police Parshu Sharma, SDMs PK Subba and Sakchum Lepcha, Deputy Director (RDD) Kul Bahadur Subba, DE (Roads & Bridges) Nayan Baraily, CEO (Education) Tenzing Dorjee, Engineer (NHIDCL, PMU-Gyalshing) Naseer Ahmed, and UDD Inspectors Mamta Sharma and Sunil Subba.