Chennai: Even after the Supreme Court’s eight-week deadline to remove stray dogs from public spaces has passed, Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) is yet to finalize NGOs to house relocated animals. Civic officials admitted that most authorized shelters were already at full capacity.In Nov 2025, the Supreme Court set the eight-week deadline to remove stray dogs from public spaces. Following this, the civic body in Dec announced a feeding cost of 50 per dog per day and a maintenance fee of 750 per day for shelters housing more than 20 dogs. However, many NGOs did not come forward to take in stray dogs from public places.
Recently, 40 dogs were removed from the Madras high court premises, of which 21 were relocated to an NGO in Nemmeli. The rest were adopted. The civic body also assured that it would conduct a survey on the stray dog population, but this has not been carried out. “The Tamil Nadu Animal Welfare Board (TNAB) provided a list of eight authorized NGOs, but all of them are facing space constraints, and discussions are under way with two organizations. Though talks are on with willing and registered NGOs on the city outskirts, many do not have space for more dogs,” said GCC veterinary officer J Kamal Hussain.Following a suggestion from the TNAB to house rabies-suspected and ferocious dogs separately, the corporation identified sites in Madhavaram and Velachery for constructing shelters. Each shelter would accommodate 250 dogs, including those suspected of rabies, canine distemper, and aggressive behaviour. The civic body now decided to impound stray dogs removed from public places as per the Supreme Court order.Tenders were floated for NGOs to maintain shelters. The work is expected to be completed by the end of March. “The facilities will be able to accommodate 500 dogs, including rabies-suspected and aggressive animals. There will be open spaces and separate kennels, where infected and rabies-suspected dogs will be kept in individual enclosures,” added Kamal.The delay raised questions among residents over compliance with the court order and the city’s preparedness to handle stray dog relocation. “We raised multiple complaints to remove the increasing stray dog population inside govt schools and UPHCs in Ernavoor, but it fell on deaf ears. It became a threat to the public, and no response was taken despite the court order,” said Kamarajar Nagar Residents’ Welfare Association president B Niranjan Patnaik.
