Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Aug 12: The Supreme Court’s directive to remove all stray dogs from Delhi-NCR streets and house them in shelters has led to a heated debate over the feasibility and practicality of the idea. The top court on Monday ordered the immediate removal of all stray dogs from public spaces in the entire National Capital Region (NCR) that include Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, and Ghaziabad.
The SC issued the order to the civic bodies in Delhi-NCR to relocate all stray dogs living in residential neighbourhoods to shelters. While animal lovers, including many Bollywood stars, have slammed the ruling as “inhumane,” others have welcomed it and cited incidents of stray dogs attacking children and the elderly. Amid the raging debate, a key question looms large, the practicability of the order.
Moving lakhs of stray dogs to shelters that do not exist yet is a task that would require significant funding and time. Manpower shortage, dogs’ territorial instincts and local resistance are among the other challenges for civic bodies struggling to carry out basic tasks such as keeping neighbourhoods clean and drains unclogged.
About 5.6 lakh stray dogs were found to be living in Delhi in the national capital’s last dog Census in 2009. In the past 16 years, no such survey has been conducted, but estimates put the number at around 10 lakh. Even if each shelter houses 500 dogs, it will still require 2,000 shelters. Currently, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) runs just 20 animal control centres. These facilities are for the short-term care of the canines after they are sterilised and released. Even if these centres are converted into full-fledged dog shelters, they would still house no more than 5,000 animals — less than 5 per cent of the target.
The EC order evoked strong response from the animal lovers and non-government organisations working for stray animals. The former union minister and BJP leader Maneka Gandhi, an animal rights activist, dubbed the apex court order as “impractical,” “financially unviable” and “potentially harmful” to the region’s ecological balance.
Ms Gandhi warned of unintended consequences, adding that removing strays could create new problems. “Within 48 hours, three lakh dogs will come from Ghaziabad, Faridabad, because there’s food here in Delhi. And once you remove the dogs, monkeys will come on the ground… I’ve seen this happen at my own house.” Referring to 1880s Paris, the BJP leader said, “When they removed dogs and cats, the city was overrun with rats,” calling dogs “rodent control animals.”
The issue has also united politically poles apart Gandhi family. Though they share little in common, their love for animals, especially dogs, remains a rare point of convergence. Besides Ms Maneka Gandhi, and her BJP MP son Varun Gandhi, and his Congress cousins Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra have all publicly opposed the Supreme Court’s directive to move stray dogs in Delhi-NCR to shelters.
Maneka Gandhi, a pioneer in animal protection laws, has long championed humane treatment of animals. Her son Varun Gandhi shares her passion. On the other side of the political aisle, Rahul Gandhi is known for his affection for animals — his pet dog Pidi once became a social media sensation and the subject of countless memes. Recently, Rahul Gandhi even travelled to Goa to adopt two pets, gifting one to his mother Sonia Gandhi. Priyanka Vadra and her husband Robert Vadra, meanwhile, are known for their large family of golden retrievers.
All four spoke against the SC order. Rahul Gandhi called the ruling “a step back from decades of humane, science-backed policy,” stressing that sterilisation, vaccination, and community care could keep streets safe “without cruelty.” Priyanka Vadra wrote, “Surely there is a better and kinder way to deal with this situation, one that keeps these innocent animals safe.” Varun Gandhi wrote on X, “The Suo Motu order on stray dogs by the Supreme Court is an institutionalisation of cruelty and a harbinger of a legal structure that seeks to punish those who cannot fend for themselves.”
The top court has asked civic bodies in Delhi NCR to shift stray dogs to shelters and pressed that streets must be “absolutely free of stray dogs.” The civic bodies have been asked to share an update within eight weeks. The question is: where are the shelters that the dogs will be moved to? Construction of these shelters will require considerable funds and time, and spaces far from residential neighbourhoods.
Satya Sharma, chairperson of MCD’s standing committee, said they would do everything possible to implement the court’s order, but admitted that setting up dog shelters would take time due to challenges in land allocation.
The construction of shelters will just one of the many challenges in implementing the Supreme Court order. MCD currently has about 2-3 vans to catch dogs in every zone, and not enough trained handlers. So, rounding up all strays from residential neighbours will be easier said than done. Also, animal lovers are sure to resist such attempts, leading to potentially tense situations in residential neighbourhoods.
The other challenge is feeding lakhs of dogs at the shelters daily, which will easily cost civic bodies hundreds of crores annually. These shelters will also require animal ambulances, veterinary doctors and other resources such as CCTV cameras — and more funds. Add to that, the salaries of the staff hired for work related to the shelters. MCD officials have said they would meet to discuss shelter construction and funding.
Delhi has reported 26,000 dog bite cases so far this year. Forty-nine cases of rabies have been reported in the national capital till July 31 this year and over 65,000 stray dogs sterilised and vaccinated between January and June.
Animal rights organisations and dog lovers argue that the top court ruling was not just cruel, but also impractical. Responding to the top court judgment, PETA India has said the “displacement and jailing of dogs is not scientific and has never worked.” It has also warned that forced removal of lakhs of dogs from the streets will “cause uproar.” “It will also ultimately do nothing to curb the dog population, reduce rabies or prevent dog bite incidents. This is because it is unfeasible to build enough dog shelters and displacing dogs causes fights over territory and problems like starvation. Ultimately, dogs make their way back into the same territories, especially when puppies continue to be born.”
The animal rights body has said the rise in the number of stray dogs on Delhi’s streets reflects the failure to implement an effective sterilisation programme. “Instead of wasting time, effort, and public resources on ineffective and inhumane displacement drives, an effective sterilisation program is still the solution and urgent need.”