Will sniffer pups have home in time for CW Games?

The Delhi Police spent a whopping Rs 19 lakh to get them at Rs 25,000 each.

But the permanent home for these puppies, which are currently training in Madhya Pradesh and Punjab, at Saket is far from complete.

The canines would be an integral part of security arrangements during the Commonwealth Games this year.

They are coming back to Delhi by July end but authorities said their home in Saket wouldn’t be ready till the year-end.

“The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has sanctioned a land for a new dog squad at Saket. We have less than a year for the Games and we cannot take any chances. We are looking for alternate arrangements,” said a senior police officer.

Taking a cue from foreign countries, these pups will be micro chipped and their entire data would be stored on a computer.

“Till the time we don’t get a permanent accommodation, we would put them at a makeshift venue in Ghazipur in east Delhi. It would be close to the Games venue and dogs can reach there anytime,” said the officer.

The German Shepherds, Labradors and Dobermans, some of the breeds of the puppies, were purchased from a Hyderabad buyer on November 5, 2009.

Mostly put on VVIP routes, the 50 odd dogs already with the Delhi Police were not enough for a city with a population of 1.7 crore.

Police said unlike earlier cases, they have not gone for trained dogs and have opted for pups instead.

Police said they were looking for several options but a vacant plot of land near Ghazipur is the best choice.

“The dog shelters and the new building in Saket cannot be constructed so soon. It will take at least a year. Our dogs will be ready for operation before that,” said the officer.

When serial blasts rocked the Capital in September 2008, it was left to six dogs to save the day.

“Most of the time the dogs are put on VVIP routes. In 2008, Sunny, one of the efficient dogs, had fallen ill due to work overload. He was stressed,” said a senior police officer.

Of the 50 dogs with the Delhi police at present, 34 are trained to sniff explosives.