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Delhi-NCR: No census of strays in 16 years
Delhi’s last dog survey in 2016 covered only four zones under the former South MCD, counting 189,285 dogs, a senior veterinary official said.
New Delhi: 300,000? 500,000? Around million? The Supreme Court has directed urban local bodies to relocate community dogs from streets of the Delhi and adjoining NCR cities, but Delhi faces a key problem in terms of logistics: it does not know the number of such dogs, and a survey planned by the municipal corporation has been stuck for over three years due to paucity of funds, according to civic officials. But estimates vary widely, with the likely number nudging the seven-figure mark, which seems about right — one dog for every 25 people.
Assuming 10 sq ft per dog, that would work to 10 million sq feet of shelter space. The Supreme Court does not seem to have thought of how much space will be needed, nor indeed, how much it is going to take to feed these dogs.
The last dog survey conducted in Delhi was by the erstwhile South Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) in 2016. “...only four administrative zones (South, West, Central and West) under then south corporation were covered and 189,285 dogs were found,” a senior official from the veterinary department said. “Justification of expenses and methodology for census has been sought and the number of specialised agencies is very low, which leads to the process remaining stuck.”
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The MCD’s subcommittee on community dogs and development of shelters, in its last meeting, also highlighted the need for a pan-Delhi dog census.
MCD standing committee chairperson, who headed the meeting, said the dog census process will be expedited to ensure that a clear picture of the problem can be obtained. “Now that the SC, HC and Delhi government are focused on the issue, no financial problem will be faced.”
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The last dog census conducted by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was in 2009, when the population of community dogs was estimated to be 560,000. A subcommittee constituted by the Delhi Assembly in 2019 estimated the population of stray dogs in the city at around 800,000. “Currently, the number of stray dogs in the city is estimated to be around 10 lakh,” the second civic official said.
