So I was just reading about Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation's new plan for stray dogs,and it seems they are finally trying to get a proper system in place because of Supreme Court's orders .
This whole initiative is targeting places like educational institutions,hospitals,sports complexes,and even bus and railway stations . And the focus is on balancing safety with animal welfare rules .
Apparently,every single one of these institutions now has to take steps to stop dogs from entering their premises . This means better fencing,managing their garbage disposal properly so dogs are not attracted to food waste,and all that.
Naresh Rajput,who is the head of Cattle Nuisance Control Department (CNCD),confirmed they've already surveyed around 1,050 locations . And each place has been told to assign a nodal officer who is responsible for keeping the campus dog-free.
And honestly,this is where things get complicated .
According to AMC's survey,they found estimated 5,500 stray dogs just across these campuses . That is not small number ah. So far,they have removed around 48 dogs from these institutional areas.
Few things standing out clearly in this plan:
- Institutions must enhance fencing,manage waste,and appoint nodal officers .
- AMC is expanding shelter capacity from around 550 to 1,180.
- Unsterilized dogs found on campuses are captured for sterilization.
But the AMC is also being realistic about what they can actually do . Rajput himself admitted,"We work within capacity constraints. It is not practically possible to remove all dogs,so we prioritize biting and aggressive cases." This makes sense tbh,you have to start with the most urgent cases first .
They are also doing new scientific census with GPS-enabled mobile apps to get updated numbers on city's dog population,which was last counted at over 200,000 . And there are plans for new shelters in Naroda,Vastral,and Lambha,each holding about 200 dogs.
Still,you have to wonder . Doubling shelter capacity is good,but when the total population is in lakhs,it feels like a very small step in a very long journey…
