NAGPUR: With the government panel confirming irregularities at the Nagpur Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) shelter, the petitioner in the case has now demanded cancellation of the land lease granted to the society by the government.As reported by TOI earlier, animal rights activist and lawyer Ankita Shah had filed a petition in the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court, alleging that the shelter was being misused for commercial purposes.While hearing her petition, the court had directed the government to carry out an immediate inspection of the shelter, following which a four-member committee reviewed various records and log books.An affidavit had been filed by the district collector, confirming that the shelter was being used for lodging and boarding of pets. It stated that around 195 pet dogs were lodged at the shelter house from December 30, 2013, till date.At present, pet owners are permitted to keep their dogs at rate of 300 per day.In its latest order, the HC has noted that the government is now planning to use the facility for better purposes. The reply submitted by the assistant government pleader says that the district administration has "initiated steps and is taking effort to find out how that facility can be used more effectively".The court order further states that the petitioner has prayed for appropriate action against the society for misusing public land and money.NSPCA had received grants for construction of shelter from ministry of social justice and empowerment, disbursed through Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI). AWBI rules clearly state that such shelters cannot be run for "profit to any individual or a body of individuals".In an application, Shah has pointed out that the society misused the land and funds for "personal gains" and defeated the object of the central government's scheme under which the grant was disbursed."The society obtained facilities from AWBI under shelter house scheme and animal ambulance scheme for the purpose of helping local authorities in rescuing stray animals in distress conditions. But the society did not use the facility for these purposes," the application said.Stating that since Dr Kailash Marwah, who manages the society, is not a party in this case, the court has kept the application pending. Shah has also demanded reconstitution of district-level SPCA, the proposal of which was cleared by state chief minister Devendra Fadnavis over an year back.

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