The Supreme Court’s latest directive has rekindled hopes that the erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) stray dog management plan, once considered a model for civic bodies across the country, may finally see the light of day.
The apex court’s directive covers a wide range of measures: from maintaining stocks of rabies vaccines and setting up patrol teams to establishing standard operating procedures (SOPs) and raising awareness of preventive behaviors and post-bite protocols.
None of these directions are new to the Bengal civic association. The plans of the erstwhile BBMP and now the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) were more comprehensive and addressed multiple aspects of the problem.
Bangalore Plan
To speed up Animal Birth Control (ABC), BBMP has proposed to set up veterinary hospitals with adequate facilities in all its zones. It also introduced a ₹2.88 crore feeding program to reduce hunger-induced dog aggression. As part of a move towards a data-driven approach, the civic body planned to microchip stray dogs.
Apart from ABC, BBMP has pioneered the use of DHPPiL, a five-in-one vaccine that protects dogs against distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, parainfluenza and leptospirosis in addition to rabies. Hopes were high when the BBMP allocated ₹60 crore to the animal husbandry department for 2025-26, triple the usual ₹20 crore. However, after the creation of five new corporations in September, all these plans remained on paper.
The GBA boss later directed the new commissioners to identify lands in their respective jurisdictions and establish ABC centres, a critical need. The city’s installed capacity for dog clinics was under 500 per day and remains unchanged.
Soil problems
The North City Corporation is the only one operating at full strength. Pommala Sunil Kumar told The Hindu that they are running two ABC centers at Yelahanka and Dasarahalli with a combined capacity of 175 slots.
Lokhande Snehal Sudhakar, additional commissioner of East City Corporation, said they have identified 2 acres and 30 guntas in KR Puram for the ABC Veterinary Center but land acquisition has not yet started.
South City Commissioner Ramesh KN said they are still looking for suitable land, with one center functioning at Bommanahalli. “Finding a vacancy in the city was difficult. We considered multiple locations but there are problems everywhere,” he told The Hindu. Central and Western corporations face similar problems.
Meanwhile, the new corporators are trying to identify spaces in every department to manage stray dogs on a micro level, a tedious task given Bengaluru’s dense population.
Feeding places and vaccinations
While citizens feeding stray dogs often drew public criticism, corporations were ordered to designate feeding zones to avoid conflicts. However, progress was slow.
GBA Chief Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao also acknowledged the lack of rabies vaccines in the city. Where vaccines are available, there are not enough vets to carry out the programme. At one point, the BBMP even considered violating the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) norms to address the shortage of manpower and space.
“Once a dog is neutered, a minimum observation of four days is mandatory under ABC rules. We had planned a one-day castration and release system, which would have been against the rules, but that was dropped,” an official told The Hindu.
Meanwhile, files on feeding and microchipping programs continue to gather dust in new corporations.
According to senior officials, these programs were put on the back burner as the city grappled with potholes and infrastructure issues.
High level meeting
A GBA source said that Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh met all municipal corporations in the state on Saturday to discuss the Supreme Court’s directives.
“The Chief Secretary has directed the Animal Welfare Committee to prepare an immediate action plan covering all aspects of the problem. Once it is ready, all the corporations will implement it,” the source said.
The meeting also discussed the importance of public feeding. A final decision on the matter is expected in the next round of negotiations.
Published – 8 Nov 2025 21:31 IST
