Vijay Goel, FONRWA flag rising stray dog menace, seek new action in Noida

Noida authority says sterilisation has doubled to 1,500 dogs daily, but residents seek relocation of feeding zones and removal of aggressive strays.

Former Union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Vijay Goel, along with the Federation of Noida Residents Welfare Association (FONRWA), raised concerns over the stray dog menace in Noida on Friday.

While RWAs and Vijay Goel push for relocating feeding zones, animal rights groups warn such moves could worsen conflicts with territorial strays. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

Goel, campaigning on the issue for three years, warned, “The dog population is rapidly growing compared to previous years. There will come a time when the dog population will double that of humans.” Citing government data, he said, “There are more than 12 crore dogs in India. In Noida alone, more than 1 lakh dog bite cases were reported in 2023. In 2024, the number rose to nearly 145,137, and from January to May this year, around 70,000 cases were reported.” He argued sterilisation and vaccination alone would not curb incidents and called for feeding zones to be shifted away from residential areas.

FONRWA president KK Jain said, “The Noida Authority should focus on identifying and removing aggressive dogs from residential areas. Without this crucial step, nothing will change on the ground.”

RK Sharma, project engineer, Noida authority, said sterilisation has doubled to 1,500 dogs daily, with aggressive dogs now shifted to Sector 94 Shelter Home. Surbhi Rawat of People for Animals countered, “Vaccination and sterilisation are scientifically proven methods. Relocation of feeding zones without expert approval is dangerous, as dogs are territorial.”