100 dog feeding points identified in Lutyens’ Delhi

The action follows the Supreme Court’s August 22 order to restrict public feeding of stray dogs. Officials said the identified spots avoid areas with high footfall.

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has designated 100 official dog-feeding spots across Lutyens’s Delhi, encompassing areas such as Khan Market, Lodhi Gardens, government office complexes, diplomatic areas, and commercial hubs, officials said.

A designated feeding spot in Vasant Kunj. (HT Archive)

The action follows the Supreme Court’s August 22 order to restrict public feeding of stray dogs. Officials said the identified spots avoid areas with high footfall.

The area under NDMC limits is divided into 14 circles, with each covering specific zones and distinct landmarks such as Gole Market, Khan Market, Connaught Place, Lodhi Estate, etc.

According to the order issued by the NDMC Palika Animal Birth Control Society, out of 100 designated spots, Circle No. 8 has the maximum number of spots at 15. Out of these 15 spaces, Khanna Market has one designated spot, while Golf Links and Kaka Nagar have three stations each. Five feeding spots have been designated across the Lodhi Gardens area — covering Gate No. 7 and 3, Amrita Shergil Marg, and Lodhi Estate Block-32, among others.

Circle No. 14 — which covers areas around the India Gate — will have 12 feeding spots across National Stadium area, Major Dhyanchand stadium Gate No. 5 and 3, Army Mess, Nirman Bhavan, Vigyan Bhawan, Tilak Nagar police station, Civil Services Officers’ Institute (CSOI), Andhra Bawan and NDMC nursery on Purana Quila Road.

City stadiums have been a key point of apprehension among animal rights activists. After the dog-bite incidents during the World Para Athletics Championships at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the authorities had stopped the entry of sterilised stray dogs into the complex, drawing criticism from activists.

The Supreme Court in its judgement dated August 22 had stated: “Municipal authorities shall forthwith commence an exercise for creating dedicated feeding spaces for the stray dogs in each municipal ward. The feeding areas shall be created/identified keeping in view the population and concentration of stray dogs in the particular municipal ward. Gantries/notice boards shall be placed near such designated feeding areas, mentioning that stray dogs shall only be fed in such areas.”

Circle No. 1 near Connaught Place — including areas such as Hanuman Mandir lane, State Emporiums, Shankar Market, Mayur Bhavan — has seven designated feeding spots, while Circle No. 2 has two designated feeding spots — near Lady Harding and Gole market. In Circle No. 6, which has seven feeding spots, three will be located near Khan Market.

Sanjiv Mehra, who heads the Khan Market Traders Association, said that traders have not been informed about the spots which have been fixed as feeding spots. “We have lots of stray dogs in the market. Ideally, the feeding area should be made away from the pathways. We have large number of restaurants in the market which remain operational till late hours. This should be done with proper consultation with us but we have not been informed.”

Several feeding spots have also been designated in residential areas — with three in Golf Links, four in East Kidwai Nagar, and three each in Laxmi Bai Nagar, Sarojini Nagar colony and Kaka Nagar. The Pandara Road area has been designated five stations.

Gopal Krishan, who heads the Federation of New Delhi RWAs said the issues related to stray dogs are not very prominent in this area compared to the rest of Delhi. “The number of dogs in our areas are neutered and the count has only gone down. We find the people walking their pet dogs more problematic due to lack of civic sense. Nevertheless, consultation should be carried out with RWAs before undertaking any such exercise of designating public areas.”

The Supreme Court on November 7 had directed authorities to pick up dogs from certain public spaces such as hospitals, bus stations and depots, and schools and universities. Civic officials said that they were designating feeding spots outside the campuses, in order to avoid having to capture them. The MCD, which covers a much larger geographical area, has been slow in identifying such feeding spots.

The number of stray dogs in the capital is not clear, as no dog census has been carried out in recent years. According to a Delhi Assembly subcommittee report from 2019, there were roughly 8,000 dogs within the NDMC area — 55% of which were sterilised.

(Animal rights activist reaction)