MCD identifying land for housing 6,000 stray dogs in phase 2

 The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has identified land in Dwarka, Bela Road, and Ghazipur to house around 6,000 stray dogs during the second phase of its Supreme Court-mandated shelter drive, a senior official said on Thursday.

One of the largest proposed sites is a 2.5-acre MCD plot in Dwarka, which can house around 1,500 dogs. According to MCD, Delhi’s total stray dog population is estimated between 8 and 10 lakh.

“We will be able to accommodate approximately 1,500 dogs here. Though the work has not started yet, there is an unused building on the plot that can be converted into a shelter home. We aim to complete the work within the six to eight weeks given by the court,” the official said.

The MCD is stepping up efforts amid an ongoing first-phase campaign to capture aggressive or ill stray dogs after a Supreme Court order on August 11 directed civic bodies to set up shelters for 5,000 strays within six to eight weeks. Delhi has already recorded 26,334 dog bite cases in 2025, along with 49 confirmed rabies cases till July 31. While the court reserved judgment on a plea to stay the directive on August 14, the MCD continues to implement the order.

“So far, we have picked up 870 dogs and housed them in 20 Animal Birth Control (ABC) centres, with space still available for around 1,000 to 1,200 more dogs,” the official said. The ABC centres usually sterilise and vaccinate strays before releasing them within a seven-day period. “This is a shift from our routine operations. Dogs are usually released after 7 days post-treatment. Now, many of them will remain sheltered longer, so the workload is increasing significantly,” the official added. The first phase is focused on aggressive and ill dogs. 

Operational challenges

The MCD on Tuesday directed NGOs running ABC centres to maintain CCTV footage and physical records of dogs picked up. Aggressive or habitual biting dogs from sensitive areas like schools, hospitals, parks, and government offices are being prioritised. Veterinary officials in each zone have also been told to record pickups through the 311 app and submit daily area-wise reports via e-mail.

“In phase two, our goal is to shelter at least 6,000 stray dogs. For this, we are identifying more locations and planning new constructions, while also converting existing unused buildings into shelters,” the MCD official said. 

For the third phase, the civic body plans to use an 82-acre plot at Ghogha dairy farm, with plans to build shelters in all 12 zones in the long term.

Currently, 241 multi-tasking staff handle everything from dog-catching to caretaking, assisted by 12 MCD vans and 24 NGO-operated vehicles. “These numbers were enough when dogs stayed for only a week. But now, as the shelter duration increases, we’ll need more hands,” the official explained. “We may need to either deploy more vans or use the existing ones strategically, such as concentrating them in areas like Dwarka when needed,” he added.