KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Wednesday directed the provincial authorities to release the funds meant for rabies control programme Sindh (RCPS) after the project director complained to court about a paucity of funds to implement the project.

A two-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Ageel Ahmed Abbasi also issued a directive to make a helpline, dedicated for complaints about stray dogs, operational within a week.

The project director of the RCPS asserted that they were continuously working on the project andtrying to implement the same in letter and spirit, but there was some delay on account offunds shortage.

One of the petitioners argued that the efforts claimed to have been made by the project director in her comments for implementation of earlier court orders were not visible on the ground since a large number of stray dogs were found in the streets and cases of dog-bite related incidents were also being reported.

A set of identical petitions were filed in 2019-20 about rise in dogbite incidents in the province and shortage of anti-rabies vaccines at government hospitals. Since then the SHC had passed several orders on the subject matter.At the previous hearing, the bench had summoned the project director of the RCPS along with complete record of vaccines, status of dedicated helpline and sterilisation of stray dogs as well as efforts made for the implementation of earlier court orders.

At the outset of the hearing on Wednesday, project director Sumera Hussain turned up and filed report/comments about the efforts made so far for implementation of the court orders and copies of the same were also provided to the petitioners.

One of the petitioners sought time to examine the report, but questioned the efforts made so far and argued that the steps reflected in the report were not visible on the ground and a large number of stray dogs were found in streets as they had not been neutered whereas there were also a large number of dogbite related patients approaching hospitals.

The chief justice also remarked that around 50 stray dogs can also be found even onthe premises of the SHC anytime and apparently there was hardly any effort on part of authorities concerned to catch such dogs acrossthe city.

The project director submitted that she had recently been appointed and several activities under the RCPS would be completed by June 2025 as per scope of approved PC-I.

However, she complained that there were some delays due toshortage offundsandassoon as the required funds werereleased, they would expedite the matter. She claimed that there would be no dog-biting incident in the street.

`Learned AAG present in court is directed to approach the concerned ministry/department for the purposes of regular releasing of funds meant for the RCPS, so that there will be no impediment in implementation of the said program, as the matter related to public at large`, the bench in its order said.

On the request of one of thepetitioners, the bench also ordered that the helpline (1093) dedicated for such purpose must be made operational within one week.

While adjourning the hearing till March 28, it directed the project director to file a fresh report to this effect on the next date of hearing.

The project director in her report asserted that after a notice was published in leading newspapers, a number of sugeestions were received andaccordingly the Sindh government had revised its ADP project/RCPS for financial year during 2023-24.

It also asserted that under the project, rabies vaccination centres (RVCs) in 20 districts of Sindh to be established, neutering/ vaccinating of around12,000 stray dogs would also becarried out and a mechanism for reporting dog-bite cases would be set up as well as population management of such dogs.

The report further maintains that so far four RVCs have been established in Karachi`s South, Central, East and West districts and sites for setting up such centres in remaining three districts Korangi, Malir and Keamari as well as 13 more districts of Sindh have also been identified.

It claims that 8,000 dogs have been neutered and over 17,000 mass dog vaccinations have also been completed while 25,000 stray dogs to be vaccinated by June.

As far as the detention of dogs is concerned, the report asserts that this concept did not come under the project as the rabies control centres are to be established for scientific treatment of stray dogs.

However, it is the domain of Town Municipal Corporations to establish such centres, it maintained.