KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday directed the local government secretary to submit till Nov 11 an action plan about proper implementation of the rabies control programme.

All district municipal corporations (DMCs) and cantonment boards submitted that they were performing their duties and would continue the same in accordance with law regarding detention and control of stray dogs in their respective jurisdictions.

When a petition about increase in dog-bite cases in the province and shortage of anti-rabies vaccines at government-run hospitals came up before a two-judge bench headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar on Tuesday, LG secretary Najam Ahmed Shah appeared and filed a progress report.

He submitted that on the directives of the bench, a helpline “Stray Dogs Complaint Centre” was functioning and numerous complaints had also been lodged and acted upon while a task force had also been in place and functioning.

The LG secretary says 116,000 dogs culled across the province

He maintained in the report that a mass vaccination programme was launched in collaboration with the Indus Hospital and Ayesha Chundrigar Foundation, but due to pandemic it was kept in abeyance and would be resumed soon.

However, Mr Shah said that he felt the need for revising the PC-I for better implementation of the programme, thus a meeting of the task force would be convened on Oct 22.

He said around 116,000 dogs had been culled across the province from November 2019 to October 2020.

Sindh rabies control programme project director Ali Anwar Ruk informed the bench that he had joined a day before and requested for some time to go through the PC-I.

The bench observed that in its earlier orders, directions were issued to submit an action plan with a timeline so that better implementation of the programme might be done in larger public interest.

It directed the LG secretary to submit the action plan on the next date of hearing.

The counsel for the DMCs as well as cantonment boards had given the statement that they were performing their duties in accordance with law in the larger public interest and would continue to do the same in future.

STDC chief summoned

The same bench on Tuesday summoned the managing director of the Sindh Tourism Development Corporation (STDC) on a petition regarding the drowning of 10 people in the Keenjhar Lake.

On an earlier directive of the bench, the Thatta deputy commissioner and SSP furnished the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the safety of tourists at the lake.

However, the bench observed that implementation of SOPs was the matter which required immediate attention and directed the STDC chief Aijaz Shaikh to appear in person on Nov 10.

The bench also directed the manager of the Keenjhar Lake Resort, Gulzar Makhdoom, who was present during Tuesday’s proceedings, to ensure his attendance on the next hearing as well.

The bench also asked Mr Makhdoom to bring some photographs along to show the development after he stated that certain steps had been taken to implement the SOPs.

Petitioner Nadeem Shaikh moved the SHC after an identical incident took place in 2017 and submitted that the court had issued direction to evolve SOPs regarding boats.

He submitted that 10 picnickers from Karachi drowned in the lake in April this year as despite court orders there was no mechanism/policy for boats as they were packed beyond capacity and there were no safety gears.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2020