Animals at SPCA Noida want to live sans Politics.

Animals don’t understand the art of political double speak! What they will appreciate is good care, food and secure environment for the whole of their lives. Is SPCA (society for prevention to cruelty to animals) in Noida’s sector 94, crumbling down amidst power game and politics?

More than 700 dogs call SPCA, Noida their home and have no where else to go, even if ill-treated. Image-ketto.org

Who will decide the fate of already grieving (one thousand plus) big and small animals & birds. Will the Noida authority wake up from this indifferent slumber or honest volunteers will continue raising funds for the sick and desolate beings?

The sec 94 Land Parcel which was originally allotted to the shelter is now a prime property on the Express way. This has led to speculation that Noida Authority has taken over the shelter for the wrong reasons. Image-Quint.com

A clash early this year between (SPCA) volunteers and Noida authority ended with the dissolution of SPCA. The authority assumed full control of the shelter in June’17  and now runs the hospital under the moniker Noida Animal Hospital and Shelter.

Reports of the shelter facing shortage of funds, the salaries of ancillary staffers being withheld for as much as seven months, food scarcity and lack of medicines for animals have surfaced. Image: HT India

SPCA volunteers have disclosed the amount of fund previously received by the organization from Noida Authority (NA) was 5 lacks initially and later raised to 10 lakhs. With a total of 18 lakhs being spent on the upkeep of the shelter the remainder came in from donations. However currently NA controls the shelter fully and therefore there isn’t any clarity on the amount of financial support being put in to manage this system.

Under the Authority supremacy, the position of volunteers associated with the organization has been demoted to non-managerial posts and they have also taken upon themselves to raise funds so that animals don’t die due to shortage of food/medicines.

Should or shouldn’t Noida Authority or the State Government be responsible for the shelter especially after taking autonomous charge of it? is for our discerning readers and animal lovers to decide!

There are about 300 large animals including horses, donkeys, bulls and cows. Vidhi, the person in-charge of the hospital told The Quint that Noida Authority officials have asked her not to feed green fodder to these animals as they aren’t productive. This has left not just Vidhi but anyone who comes across this statement devastated. Animals are more than just props for photo-ops!

There are about 700 dogs at the shelter. According to Mr. Vineet Arora a staff member, the authority never sends the required quantity of dog food and a lot of it comes via the donation route. Also there is a disparity in consumption and supply of food for dogs. The Animal Birth Control (ABC) programmes have too suffered due to non-payment of dues.

A TOI report on the issue has presented what the Authority officials had to say on the matter. The NA defends its stance by stating figures of as big as 16 lakhs being spent monthly on the animal hospital cum shelter since the take-over in June. This figure includes 6.5 lakhs paid to staff as monthly salaries and 5.5 lakhs spent each month on running the shelter. Also an inspection was carried out recently by Noida Authority’s chairperson and CEO Mr. Alok Tandon in the wake of media reports on the dismal condition of Noida Animal Hospital & Shelter. R.K Mishra, Additional CEO Noida Authority told TOI that the NA is constantly working to improve conditions at the shelter to turn it into a state-of-art facility. He further assured that there is sufficient food and medicines for all the animals present. On the subject of non-payment of salaries he said all the staff members have been timely paid their dues and also talked about a vet being appointed for the shelter by the District Magistrate.

Please voice your concerns in the support of the animals and let them know that they are not alone in this.