The Supreme Court issued an important order on 11 August 2025 regarding the problem of stray dogs in Delhi-NCR. The court directed that within the next eight weeks all the stray dogs of Delhi-NCR should be removed from the roads and transferred to special shelter sites. The court also clarified that no dog, once taken into shelter, will not be released on the streets again. The objective of this order is to remove stray dogs from public places and protect people from deadly diseases like rabies caused by dog bites.
Last month, the Supreme Court raised the matter on the basis of a media report, taking automatic cognizance. The court said that hundreds of dog bites are coming to light every day in Delhi and its surrounding areas, due to which rabies cases are increasing. Especially children and elders are falling prey to this disease. The court directed the Municipal Corporation and other concerned agencies to establish adequate shelter facilities within eight weeks with coordination so that dogs could be removed from the roads.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has already started taking steps to deal with this problem. Earlier this month, the MCD announced that it would upgrade its animal birth control centers and conduct the field-wise rabies awareness campaign. The MCD reported that their centers, which are running in collaboration with various NGOs, will soon start installing microchips in dogs. Through these chips, the status of sterilization of dogs and other important information will be recorded, which will make their monitoring and tracking easier. In addition, regular health check -ups, such as blood tests, will also be done in these centers.
On August 4, these decisions were taken at the meeting of the sub-committee of the Standing Committee of MCD, which included environmentalist and BJP leader Maneka Gandhi and Standing Committee President Satya Sharma. Maneka Gandhi stressed that the birth control centers should have trained employees, modern medical facilities and proper monitoring arrangements so that the sterilization process is human and effective. He advocated a long -term plan with animal welfare groups, experienced NGOs and local communities. Satya Sharma said that MCD is adopting a holistic approach to maintain balance between animal welfare and public health, and concrete action is being taken with the help of all concerned agencies and experts.
** Keywords **: Stray Dogs, Delhi, Supreme Court, Shelters, Rabies, MCD, Microchipping, Animal Welfare
