The MCD has picked up 100 stray dogs so far since the Supreme Court order on relocating canines, and converted the city's 20 Animal Birth Control (ABC) centres into shelter homes, Mayor Raja Iqbal Singh said on Wednesday.
The MCD also identified an 85-acre plot in outer Delhi to shelter more strays, Singh said.
Talking to PTI, Singh said the civic body has started looking for land to set up more dog shelters, adding that they will implement the SC directive in phases, starting with aggressive and rabies-infected dogs.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will expand an ABC centre in Dwarka, while in the third phase, the Ghoga Dairy -- which has 85 acres of land -- will be considered for setting up large shelter homes, the mayor said.
Once the stray dogs are shifted to the shelters, Delhiites will get huge relief, he said.
The Supreme Court on Monday ordered that all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR be picked up within eight weeks and relocated to shelters to be created by the appropriate authorities.
A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan noted that there was an "extremely grim" situation due to stray dog bites resulting in rabies, particularly among children.
{{/usCountry}}A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan noted that there was an "extremely grim" situation due to stray dog bites resulting in rabies, particularly among children.
{{/usCountry}}Singh said, "We had assured people that we will implement the order 100 per cent. We are getting a lot of calls from residents, and till now, 100 stray dogs have been caught.”
The mayor said in the first phase, only those dogs that are aggressive, rabies-infected, or sick will be picked up.
At present, the MCD has 20 ABC centres, which are being converted into shelters to house the captured dogs, he said.
“We are making sure that all facilities are provided so that the dogs do not face any problems,” he added.
For the next phase, the civic body plans to expand the ABC centre in Dwarka, while in the third phase, the Ghoga Dairy will be considered for setting up large shelter homes.
Speaking about the availability of land and funds, Singh said there is no shortage of either, and funding will not be an issue.
“This is a people’s government, and this is a priority for us because residents have been facing problems for a long time. We now have the resources and are moving ahead in a planned way,” he said.
According to Singh, 25 teams are currently working across the city and responding to calls from residents.
The MCD will soon launch a dedicated helpline for citizens to report stray dog-related complaints.