NEW DELHI: Amid mounting concerns over stray dog attacks and rabies cases in Delhi, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has begun implementing the Supreme Court’s recent directive to remove stray canines from city streets and shift them to dedicated shelters.
The civic body has already captured 100 dogs since Monday’s order, Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh said on Wednesday.
The apex court had directed the Delhi government and civic bodies in Gurugram, Noida, and Ghaziabad to ensure all stray dogs are moved to shelters, observing that the situation was “extremely grim,” especially for children, due to frequent dog bite incidents leading to rabies.
The MCD has decided to execute the plan in phases, starting with aggressive, rabies-infected, and sick animals.
Singh said the corporation’s 20 existing Animal Birth Control (ABC) centres are being converted into shelters to house captured dogs, ensuring they receive adequate care. “We are making sure all facilities are in place so that the dogs do not face problems,” he said.
In the second phase, the ABC centre in Dwarka will be expanded, and in the third phase, Ghoga Dairy in outer Delhi, with 85 acres of land, will be developed into a large shelter complex. The mayor emphasised that there is no shortage of land or funds for the project.
“This is a people’s government, and resolving the stray dog problem is a priority. Residents have suffered for a long time, but we now have the resources and are moving ahead in a planned way,” he said.
According to Singh, 25 MCD teams are currently deployed across the city, responding to residents’ complaints and picking up identified dogs.
The civic body also plans to set up a dedicated helpline to streamline stray dog-related grievance redressal. The MCD’s plan includes looking for additional land across the city to establish more shelters.
The 85-acre Ghoga Dairy site, once operational, is expected to accommodate a large number of animals, potentially easing pressure on other facilities.