In a first, MCD earmarks Rs 40 crore for dog shelters and microchipping strays

New Delhi: Amid mounting pressure to create permanent shelters for aggressive stray dogs, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has, for the first time, earmarked Rs 20 crore for the development of dog shelters and another Rs 20 crore for microchipping strays in its 2026-27 budget.

Implementation of both the initiatives, however, remains slow.Senior officials said efforts are underway to expedite work on the ground. To accommodate strays picked up from institutions and public places such as hospitals, schools and bus stands, MCD has initiated correspondence with Delhi govt seeking land at animal husbandry department hospitals and animal birth control (ABC) centres. The aim is to ensure that every zone has a shelter facility for stray dogs until permanent infrastructure is developed, said the officials.“Supreme Court on Tuesday made it clear that dogs found in public places should be sterilised and relocated to permanent shelters. Institutions will have to appoint nodal officers to keep campuses free of strays and prevent open feeding. MCD’s veterinary department will play a key role in picking up the animals,” an official said.However, he acknowledged that creating shelters for such a large number of dogs would require substantial land.

After MCD’s earlier communication, Delhi govt asked the civic body to identify hospitals where such facilities could be established. “We are on the job,” the official added.MCD standing committee chairperson Satya Sharma said work on a dog shelter in Dwarka was progressing and similar facilities will be developed at other locations. “Such facilities are important to ensure safe shelter, treatment and care of stray dogs,” she said.A proposal to add kennels at five existing sterilisation centres is under consideration. Sharma said work at Bijwasan and Bela Road centres has already begun, which is expected to enhance MCD’s daily sterilisation capacity.TOI visited the animal birth control (ABC) centre at Bela Road and saw work had recently started to revamp a large hall for developing additional kennels to house stray dogs. Officials said work will be completed in at least four months.

The expansion is expected to create space for at least 40 more kennels to accommodate 750 more dogs per month.An ABC centre that can sterilise about 750 dogs per month is already operational adjacent to the complex at Bela Road. While it looked well maintained, it was not being utilised to its full capacity, TOI found.“About 25-30 community dogs are housed here every day. We have three vans and dedicated staff to catch strays from designated areas, apart from animals brought in by MCD teams.

The dogs are generally kept here for three days and staff are deployed 24x7,” said a veterinary doctor at the site.He added that the recent SC directions have sparked both curiosity and apprehension among people, with many now coming forward to get community dogs sterilised before they are picked up. “However, what constitutes a ferocious dog remains unclear and may become a point of dispute,” he said.Staff at the centre welcomed the court’s order that no FIRs or criminal complaints should be lodged against municipal staff, animal welfare authorities or officials acting in good faith while picking up, sterilising and vaccinating stray dogs.“There have been instances where our staff were attacked, gheraoed and blamed by dog lovers simply for performing their duties. Another challenge we face is when people insist they will get the dogs vaccinated on their own,” a staff member said.Sharma said a large-scale anti-rabies vaccination drive will be conducted to effectively control rabies. The microchipping proposal is under examination and MCD is exploring the possibility of engaging expert agencies through a CSR model, officials said. They added that once the eight non-functional sterilisation centres become operational, the focus would shift towards significantly increasing daily sterilisation procedures.