MCD asks councillors, RWAs to finalise stray dog feeding spots

Acting on a recent Supreme Court order on setting up dedicated feeding zones for stray dogs in the city, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has instructed all ward councillors to collaborate with the Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) and compile a list of potential feeding locations  by the end of this week, BJP councillor Yogesh Verma said on Tuesday.

“Many of the existing feeding spots marked by the Animal Welfare Board of India are inside parks that have caused frequent disputes… We will ensure these disputes are prevented, and the feeding spots are better distributed across all 250 wards. These spots will be away from public spaces like parks, playgrounds, and busy streets,” said Mr. Verma, who is also a member of MCD’s subcommittee for stray dogs.

As per MCD data, Delhi has recorded 26,334 dog bites and 49 rabies cases this year.

Meanwhile, the MCD has commenced the construction work at two permanent animal shelters for sick and aggressive dogs in Dwarka Sector 29 and Bela Road, north Delhi.

“The subcommittee will be inspecting both sites soon. These shelters will be specifically for sick or aggressive dogs,” said a senior MCD official. The existing animal birth control (ABC) centre in Dwarka Sector 29, which currently houses up to 300 dogs, will be expanded to accommodate an additional 1,200 dogs.

The MCD has claimed that the ABC centres have the capacity to sterilise 8,000 to 10,000 dogs a day. However, 59,076 dogs were sterilised in 2022, which increased to 79,959 in 2023 and to 1,31,137 in 2024. As of June 30, 31,888 dogs had been sterilised and vaccinated this year.

The MCD’s veterinary department is seeking suggestions from NGOs running the ABC centres on improving the sterilisation and vaccination coverage. “The challenge that our ABC centres face is space constraints to house the dogs as the ABC program requires dogs to be housed for five or more days,” a MCD veterinary officer said.