Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has issued a sweeping directive to all civic bodies across the state, instructing them to remove stray dogs from sensitive public areas following a new order from the Supreme Court. The government resolution (GR), released on Monday, calls for immediate action by municipal corporations, councils and nagar panchayats to clear stray animals from schools, hospitals, railway stations, bus stands, stadiums and other public hubs.
Under the new rules, local authorities must capture stray dogs, sterilise them, vaccinate them, and then shift them to designated shelters. Unlike earlier practices, the animals cannot be released back into the same public zones once picked up. To regulate feeding activities, civic bodies have also been asked to create fixed feeding zones for community dogs, with penalties for individuals feeding animals outside the permitted areas.
To streamline public complaints, the government has made helplines compulsory for every civic body. A state-level coordinator stationed in Navi Mumbai will oversee the process and ensure local bodies follow the newly mandated procedures.
The GR further instructs hospitals to maintain adequate stocks of anti-rabies vaccines and immunoglobulins, given the rising cases of dog bites in urban centres. Officials have been warned that failure to implement the rules could result in personal accountability under the resolution.
The move follows a Supreme Court order issued on November 7, which demanded the “forthwith removal” of stray dogs from public premises and strict adherence to the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, including sterilisation, vaccination and relocation.
