Mumbai, March 14: Though BMC officials assert that sterilisation programmes have reduced the number of stray dogs in Mumbai, newly elected corporators remain unconvinced. The stray dog population has reignited debate in the civic house, with calls to strengthen sterilisation and vaccination drives.
NCP corporator Ajit Raorane has proposed that each ward office set up Animal Birth Control (ABC) centres with CCTV cameras for transparency. The proposal is scheduled for discussion at the Civic House on March 17.
Proposal for ABC centres in every ward
Raorane stated that the rising number of stray dogs in Mumbai poses serious risks to residents, including attacks on children and the elderly and constant nighttime disturbances.
"While the BMC currently operates eight ABC centres offering sterilisation and rabies vaccination, this is insufficient for the growing population. Establishing ABC centres in each civic ward equipped with CCTV and publicly accessible digital records will ensure faster, transparent management," said Raorane.
Last month, Mayor Ritu Tawde, in her letter to Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, had also urged the expansion of BMC's animal birth control programme across all 26 wards, citing insufficient infrastructure and reliance on eight NGOs to manage Mumbai’s growing stray dog population.
Animal welfare groups call for transparency
Sunish Subramanian, Secretary of the Plants and Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) Mumbai, highlighted the need for the BMC to establish sterilisation centres in every civic ward.
He warned that without active public participation and transparent monitoring, the programme could end up being symbolic rather than achieving meaningful results.
Civic officials cite declining dog population
A senior civic official countered that the sterilisation programme’s effectiveness is evident from the declining number of stray dogs, according to official data.
A 2024 survey conducted by the BMC in collaboration with Humane Society International/India (HSI) found that over the past 29 years, approximately 4.3 lakh stray dogs have been sterilised in Mumbai. This effort has contributed to a population decrease from 95,172 to 90,757 over the last decade.
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Civic data also indicates that the city records an average of 70,000 dog bite cases annually. Between 1994 and December 2023, the BMC sterilised 4,03,374 dogs, including 1,48,084 in the period from 2014 to 2023.
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