Palakkad (Kerala) | Kerala Local Self-Government Department Minister M B Rajesh on Friday expressed concern over the practicality of rehabilitating stray dogs in the state following the Supreme Court’s direction on the issue.

Speaking to reporters here, Rajesh said he had not yet received a copy of the court order and had only learned about it through media reports.

He said that from what he understood of the court’s verdict, the emphasis was on effective implementation of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme, including sterilisation and vaccination of stray dogs.

"From the information available to me, Kerala’s affidavit was accepted. In it, we have detailed the steps taken so far and the challenges we face in implementing the ABC programme," he said.

Rajesh said he was unaware of any fresh directive from the Supreme Court beyond what was reported in the media. When asked about the removal of stray dogs from public spaces, the minister said such an approach was impractical.

"Our experience shows that removing street dogs from public places does not work. Where can we rehabilitate them? Kerala has a very high population density, and there is hardly any distinction between urban and rural areas. We struggle to find land for people—how can we find space to build shelters for dogs?" he asked.

He also pointed out that there were local protests when ABC centres and animal shelters were set up earlier. "There should be more practical directions in Kerala’s case," he added. Rajesh said that, according to the media reports he had seen, there was no new directive from the court and that the existing matters had only been reiterated.