New Delhi: Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has moved a proposal to Delhi govt seeking allotment of land at Ghazipur in east Delhi for setting up a second shelter for stray dogs, after its under-construction centre in Dwarka.“A five-acre plot belonging to Delhi govt, located next to the MCD veterinary hospital, has been identified and we are hopeful of receiving an approval soon,” said MCD’s standing committee chairperson, Satya Sharma.MCD also plans to construct a shelter at Masoodpur, where it’s already running an animal birth control (ABC) facility. “But there are some technical issues in adding a facility for aggressive or attacking dogs. We will resolve the issue soon,” Sharma said.In a meeting chaired by her, the veterinary department was directed to regularly review the performance of NGOs implementing the ABC programme for stray dogs. NGOs failing to meet the prescribed standards or discharge their responsibilities should be removed or face action under the rules, Sharma said. She also directed that new NGOs be empanelled, if required.While MCD has 20 ABC centres operated by 13 NGOs, with a combined capacity to sterilise and administer anti-rabies vaccinations to up to 10,000 stray dogs every month, only 13-14 centres were functioning till the end of June, reducing the monthly sterilisation capacity to around 8,500 dogs, according to sources.“Some centres did not have the required validation or certification from Animal Welfare Board of India. They have to comply with the prescribed norms, including kennel size and infrastructure standards,” an official said.The meeting took place after Delhi High Court Monday directed MCD and New Delhi Municipal Council to launch a pilot project for stray dog sterilisation, ordering them to set up camps in every ward under their jurisdictions.“As per the court’s direction, we are working on launching a zone-wise pilot project to sterilise the majority of the stray dog population in a planned manner. We will divert NGOs and logistics from other areas as well to implement and complete the task, probably within a month’s time,” said Sharma. The dog committee with elected councillors as its members will be reconstituted soon, she added.
