Animal birth control centres proving inadequate to tackle stray dog menace

Despite the presence of the two Animal Birth Control (ABC) centres run by the Municipal Corporation, the stray dog population in the city remains a major concern.

There are more than 50,000 stray dogs roaming around in city streets, and activists are now demanding more effective measures to tackle the problem. The existing ABC centres, aimed at sterilising stray dogs to control their population growth, seem to have had little impact. Activists argue that the centres are unable to address the scale of the problem, and want such centres to be set up in each assembly constituency of the city.

“The MC has hired a firm to sterilise 20,000 dogs at ABC centres. But it is not enough to make a significant dent in the population,” said local activist SK Sharma. “We need more such centres. The stray dog population is not only a nuisance but also a health hazard. The Municipal Corporation has acknowledged the issue, but cites limited resources as a major constraint. However, activists remain adamant that more needs to be done to address the growing problem,” he added.

Laxmi Kanta Chawla, former Health Minister, is vocal against the stray dog menace and regularly writes to the authorities concerned in this regard. The stray dog population in the city remains a pressing issue and it remains to be seen whether the authorities will take the necessary steps to address it effectively, said Chawla.

It is worth mentioning here that the Municipal Corporation started a project for the sterilisation of 20,000 stray dogs in August 2023 and the work is still in progress.

Till date, around 10,000 stray dogs have been sterilised in different parts of the city. The project is expected to get completed by August 2025.