Top Punjab Dog Training Institute In Dera Bassi Faces An Existential Crisis

Punjab Home Guards Canine Training and Breeding Centre Dera Bassi, popular across the country for providing trained dogs for detecting drugs and explosives, is under review over its viability.

This institute has a long list of illustrious clientele – from the Indian Army to the Ministry of External Affairs, the EC to security units in J&K, and from prisons of other states to top industrialists like Mukesh Ambani. In the last five years, this institute has supplied nearly 250 dogs for INR 3.45 crore to other states, and  Punjab has not placed a single order during this period.

The Punjab Government recently formed a committee to review its viability. Newton Sidhu, institute director, alleged a lobby of officers wanted to damage the institute. Questioning the legality of the committee, he has already written to the CM, Chief Secretary, and the DGP. Sidhu alleged DGP (Home Guards) VK Bhawra had got the committee constituted in contravention of his authority. He said Bhawra wrote a DO letter to the Home Secretary, seeking its review.

“The Punjab and Haryana High Court has stayed the authority of the DGP (Home Guards), and thus the demand is illegal and amounts to contempt of the court,” Sidhu claimed, seeking the CM’s intervention.

Bhawra said the government had every right to review the projects under it from time to time.

“This is procedural. There is nothing personal about it,” the DGP said.