Panaji: State authorities have issued a set of recommendations to manage stray dogs along Goa’s beach belts and to shape a comprehensive statewide plan, following high-level discussions chaired by the animal husbandry secretary. The meeting at Porvorim, held after discussions with the chief minister, also reviewed directions from Supreme Court and Bombay high court, and came in the wake of the tourism department’s drive to place stray dogs on beaches for adoption and relocation.Animal welfare organisations (AWOs) and NGOs flagged concerns over the tourism department’s notice proposing relocation in a state where designated shelters do not exist. Murugan Appupillai, director of education at Mission Rabies, warned that partial sterilisation delivers negligible results and urged a unified, coordinated approach involving govt departments, AWOs and local bodies.To address these issues, the meeting adopted recommendations intended to guide the tourism department’s upcoming execution plan. These include conducting a detailed survey of stray and community dogs along beach stretches with support from the lifeguard agency Drishti and local bodies; categorising dogs by sterilisation status; and working with shack owners’ associations to sterilise and vaccinate unsterilised dogs. The plan also calls for involving village panchayats, shack owners, and the hospitality sector in maintaining structured feeding arrangements, especially during the tourist off-season.Participants also agreed to explore forming clusters of village panchayats to secure common land for permanent shelters in line with established guidelines. Stakeholders stressed that young dogs from beach areas would be prioritised for adoption after sterilisation and vaccination, before any relocation is undertaken.The meeting further highlighted the need to enforce pet registration rules. Stakeholders resolved to draft bylaws under the Goa Municipalities Act and the Goa Panchayat Raj Act to make dog registration mandatory, backed by incentives such as free registration.TOI had earlier reported on the tourism department’s beach initiative for adoption and relocation. After the report, the District Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA), North Goa, wrote to the govt, alleging the department’s move violated statutory provisions and SC directions, and demanded the immediate withdrawal of the seven-day notice issued for the initiative.
