Dwarka dog shelter to be ready by November: MCD officials

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s dog shelter at Dwarka Sector-29, having a capacity to accommodate around 1,500 stray dogs, is likely to be completed by November this year, with other spaces also being identified for developing such shelters.

The status of the projects was reviewed during a meeting held at the Delhi Secretariat on Friday, attended by officials of the MCD, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), the Animal Husbandry Department and the Public Works Department (PWD), to assess compliance with the Supreme Court’s directions on stray dog management.

“We reviewed the compliance status of the directions issued by the Supreme Court and the progress of various infrastructure projects. The Dwarka dog shelter is under development; it will accommodate around 1,500 dogs and will be completed likely by November this year,” a senior Municipal Corporation of Delhi official said.

He said that a five-acre MCD-owned land at Mukundpur is under consideration for the development of an integrated Animal Birth Control (ABC) centre, dog shelter and dog crematorium in accordance with the Standard Operating Procedure issued by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and the top court’s directions.

“Space has also been identified at Bela Road for development of a dog shelter, while the department is in the process of identifying additional land at government veterinary hospitals and dispensaries under the Animal Husbandry Department for establishing more dog shelters,” the official said.

The civic body is developing the shelters to accommodate stray dogs picked up from educational institutions, hospitals, medical colleges, sports complexes, bus stands and depots, railway stations and other public spaces, including religious places, children’s parks, airports, helipads, tourist sites and recreational areas, in line with the court’s directions.