Facility's power supply was cut on Monday as a Rs 80,000 bill is pending; the hospital-cum-shelter home for animals has also incurred a huge debt of over Rs 60 lakh
The Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), a hospital-cum-shelter home in Noida, has been a beacon of hope for distressed animals for 12 long years. But now the facility is facing dark times, quite literally, for on Monday, its electricity supply was cut off for a day because a bill of Rs 80,000 has been pending for the last two months. Now, it is unclear for how long the hospital will be able to meet its daily expenses.
The facility, which houses over 1,000 animals, including 900 dogs, birds, bulls, cats, langurs, and donkeys, is in a deep financial crisis. The administration claims they have not received any funds from the Noida Authority for the last four months. The authority is supposed give Rs 10 lakh per month to the hospital.
The SPCA staffers have alleged that they have not been able to buy basic amenities, such as food, medicine, and bandages, due to lack of funds. They have also not received their salaries for more than two months.
That is not all. Senior Doctor Sanmat Jain, who has been visiting the place for the last eight years, has not received his salary since 2015. By February, the hospital authorities have incurred a huge debt of over Rs 60 lakh.
The SPCA administration said they need at least Rs 20 lakh per month to treat the abandoned, sick, injured, old, and infirm animals. The hospital also conducts dog sterlisation drives.
In these difficult times, a volunteer, Noida resident Sonia, who has been regularly contributing to the shelter, is now helping to construct shades for animals, keeping in view the approaching summers. "I have been giving necessary articles from my pocket as well as asking my friends to donate," she said.
According to SPCA officials, many animals were turned away due to non-availability of medicines. "Generally, the Noida Authority gives us Rs 10 lakh a month to meet our expenses, including food, medication, surgical equipment, salaries, and other needs. In addition, we have private contributors, donors, and volunteers," administrative member Anuradha Dogra said.
"On Monday, our power supply was disconnected, creating a huge mess, as the animals cannot survive without light and water. Sometimes they end up fighting with and killing each other," she said. The SPCA authorities also alleged that they have only one ambulance, despite repeatedly requesting the Noida Authority to arrange for new vehicles in the last four years.
According to Dogra, another major problem is that the new Noida Authority CEO decided to scrap SPCA's autonomy on the account and brought two co-signatories into the picture. Funds for the months of September and October, Rs 20 lakh, were deposited in the SPCA account on Thursday, but the administration was unable to access them because sanction of all the signatories is required.
Veterinarian Officer Dr Preetpal Singh, one of the co-signatories, denied these allegations and said: "No authority is bound to sanction money to the SPCA. The Noida Authority is still doing this for the welfare of the animals.
Also, there has been no audit of the SPCA accounts. So, we have decided to sort out the matter before sanctioning any more funds."
"There is a need to understand how the organisation works and if the funds provided by the authority are being used properly. We are studying the audits and releasing the funds gradually. But the entire process takes time," Singh added.
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