Now Reading: Mumbai logged 1.54 lakh dog bite cases, BMC seeks shelter land
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Mumbai logged 1.54 lakh dog bite cases, BMC seeks shelter land
Mumbai recorded 1,54,017 dog-bite cases in 2025, the BMC told the civic house on Tuesday. Following a Supreme Court directive to keep strays away from schools, hospitals and public transport hubs, the civic body is scouting for land outside Mumbai to set up shelters and considering paying agencies for lifetime care of each dog housed there.
Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator Kailasnath Pathak raised the issue, citing stray dogs roaming roads, gardens and residential areas. A 2024 survey estimated Mumbai's stray dog population at 90,757. The BMC sterilised about 37,000 dogs over 18 months to April 2025, spending Rs 6.5 crore, and has vaccinated over 1 lakh strays. Six proposed shelter sites face local opposition, prompting the search for land outside city limits.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Bombay High Court had earlier flagged the city's growing stray dog population as a public health emergency. Mumbai's target of rabies-free status by 2030 is ambitious given that sterilization numbers, at about 37,000 in 18 months, cover less than half the estimated 90,757 strays. The real friction lies in shelter placement: every proposed site faces NIMBY opposition from residents, forcing the BMC to look beyond city limits. Lifetime care payments to agencies create a recurring fiscal commitment that could run into crores if shelters fill up. Watch for the Supreme Court's next hearing on compliance deadlines, which will determine whether the BMC must fast-track sterilization or face contempt proceedings.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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