Delhi government offices to be rid of strays first amid resistance

On average, before the SC order, MCD used to pick and sterilise more than 300-350 dogs per day, but the number has gone down since the order, officials said.

Dog catchers of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will initially focus their efforts on removing stray dogs and clearing unauthorised feeding areas set up inside government offices, hospitals and schools, senior municipal officials said, citing an action plan submitted to the Delhi government. They, however, said the number of strays captured remains low due to stiff resistance from animal rights activists.

Several dogs have also been removed from the municipal offices, including the Civic Center, an official said. (File/Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

A senior civic official, requesting anonymity, said that besides dogs with multiple-bite complaints, the initial focus of the drive is on government office compounds.

“These areas have high footfalls and feedings spots cannot be allowed inside government offices, schools and hospitals. We receive multiple complaints from such institutions and our initial priority will be such areas. Feeding points cannot be allowed inside office complexes. We have already started this drive,” the official said.

Several dogs have also been removed from the municipal offices, including the Civic Center, the official said.

The Supreme Court ordered authorities in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) to remove all stray dogs from streets and house them in shelters, prohibiting the release of any captured dog back on to the streets. The court directed Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram authorities to create shelters for at least 5,000 dogs within six to eight weeks, begin immediate capture, and make “localities free of stray dogs.”

However, there has been a hostile reception to the plan in the national capital.

A second civic official said that their teams are meeting stiff resistance from activists. The official said that on Sunday, activists unloaded a corporation dog-catching van in Rohini sector 15,16, where it was capturing dogs from a government school compound. A video of the incident also went viral, officials said.

“Gates to dog vans are being opened. Activists are not letting the dogs being captured. Our workers keep calling us all through the day. Activists are citing that SC order has been reserved but there is no stay on the earlier order,” the official added.

On average, before the apex court’s order, MCD used to pick and sterilise more than 300-350 dogs per day, but the number has gone down since the order, officials said.

Meanwhile, the corporation also faces a space crunch issue to house captured dogs. The MCD’s preliminary assessment for housing stray dogs in shelters has found that at least ₹110 per dog per day would be required to keep the dogs in permanent shelters.

“At present, we can only use the existing animal sterilisation centres, which can’t accommodate even the 5,000 dog target specified by the court. Two sterilisation centres are also lying closed. We are looking for space to set up more shelters in places, such as Dwarka and Ghogha dairy, where large land pockets are available with the corporation,” the official said.

A plan for microchipping captured stray dogs is also being considered. Officials said that microchipping will not only help with ascertaining the count, but the chip will also be able to store five other data parameters, including history, vaccination and sterilisation details. For the microchip system, the cost of a handheld scanner is estimated at ₹4,000 and the cost of each chip at around ₹150-200 per dog.