MCD forms sub-committee to set up dog shelters

Its work will include identification of suitable locations for the shelters, assessing required resources, estimating budget, and coordinating with NGOs and expert groups.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Wednesday formed a sub-committee to plan the establishment of shelter homes for community dogs across the city, officials said. The sub-committee tasks will include developing shelter home models, and form an action plan for the construction and functioning of these homes.

The issue of community dogs was raised in the meeting by councillor Rajpal Singh, who had flagged the shortage of shelters in the city, and stated that there are only 20 operational centres in the city. (PTI)

It will submit its report to the MCD’s standing committee within a month.

Chairman of the standing committee Satya Sharma said that the sub-committee work will also include identification of suitable locations for the shelters, assessing required resources, estimating budget, and coordinating with NGOs and expert groups.

“The committee will...also ensure that public safety, sanitation, and health concerns arising from community dogs are effectively addressed,” said an MCD official. The committee consists of seven MCD councillors, and the director and additional commissioner of the veterinary services department of MCD. Councillor Sunder Singh has been made the chairman of the committee. The other councillors in the committee are Neema Bhagat, Shikha Bhardwarj, Rajpal Singh, Pankaj Luthra, Praveen Kumar, and Yogesh Verma.

This comes after a proposal for the same was passed in the standing committee meeting on 16 July, Wednesday. The issue of community dogs was raised in the meeting by councillor Rajpal Singh, who had flagged the shortage of shelters in the city, and stated that there are only 20 operational centres in the city. He had also noted that while ₹1.2 crore has been spent on managing community dogs, there hasn’t been enough action on the ground, and had suggested the construction of a shelter in each zone.