Hours after the Supreme Court ordered civic authorities in Delhi and the NCR to catch, sterilise and permanently house stray dogs, Municipal Corporation of Delhi sources admitted that the city’s current infrastructure is far from adequate to meet the target.

According to sources, Delhi has no dedicated dog shelters and only 20 sterilisation centres with a combined capacity to operate on about 2,500 dogs at a time. To control the population, at least 70% of the stray dog population has to be sterilised, but the present facilities will not likely allow for that target to be met, sources added.

The capital’s stray dog population is estimated at around six lakh. To bring the numbers down, 4.5 lakh dogs would need to be sterilised every year. With existing capacity, only about 1.25 lakh dogs can be sterilised annually, sources added.

Dr VK Singh, former Director of the Veterinary Department, MCD, said the city will need to build more shelters, pointing out that two types would be required—one for sterilised dogs and another for those awaiting surgery. “The population has grown substantially and sterilisation will take time,” he noted.

On Monday, the top court issued a stern, five-point directive to Delhi, Noida and Gurugram authorities to act “without compromise” in tackling the stray dog menace. The bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan said the exercise must inspire confidence that “infants and young children can move freely without fear of being bitten by stray dogs.”

The order followed the court’s suo motu intervention over rising rabies cases and dog bite incidents, especially involving children and the elderly. Authorities have been told to build shelters with CCTV monitoring within eight weeks, start picking up 5,000 stray dogs from vulnerable areas in six weeks, and ensure none are released once caught and sterilised.

Source: India Today