Maharashtra to set up three modern stray dog shelters in Mumbai

MLAs across parties have complained about the stray dog menace in Mumbai. REPRESENTATION PIC/ISTOCK

With Maharashtra being home to nearly 14.80 lakh stray dogs, including around 94,000 in Mumbai, the state government has decided to set up three modern shelter homes for strays in the city. The shelters will be located at Malad, Mulund, and Mahul as part of government efforts to improve the management and care of stray animals.

Call for action

On Friday, members of the state legislative assembly alleged that despite Supreme Court orders to curb the stray dog menace, the issue is aggravating each day as civic bodies are not implementing the apex court orders in totality. BJP MLA Manisha Choudhary claimed stray dogs are fed on streets and in public places, causing inconvenience to the citizens and residential society members. "The NGO approaches the police station, and complaints are filed against society office bearers. This problem needs to be addressed," she asserted.

Menace in civic hospitals

Congress MLA Amin Patel claimed that when he visited Nair Hospital, he was surprised to see seven stray dogs moving freely in the premises and causing problems to patients and hospital visitors. "The BMC is not serious when it comes to addressing this issue and implementing court directives," Patel said.

Issue in all areas

During the Question-Hour Session, BJP MLA Namita Mundada, participating in the debate, claimed that the dog menace is not limited to metro cities and urban areas. "Even areas coming under the municipal council are facing similar issues. The lack of funds with the local civic body is one of the reasons, and the government should make financial provisions to address this issue," Mundada said.

NCP objects to Mahul land

NCP MLA Sana Malik claimed that the Mahul plot is reserved for a hospital and cannot be utilised for any other purpose or for the setting up of shelter homes. "We object to the Mahul plot for a dog shelter," she said. Speaker Rahul Narwekar suggested that the government ask the BMC to look for an alternate site.

Land identified for shelters

Mahayuti minister Uday Samant, replying to queries, said that the government will direct all 29 civic bodies in the state to implement SC orders. Specifically replying about Mumbai, the minister stated the government has identified 3000 square metres of land each at Malad and Mulund for the proposed stray dog shelters. In Mahul, around 8411 square metres of land have been identified. "The government has sought transfer of this land from the Revenue Department. The government will request that it be transferred for the project at the earliest," Samant said, claiming this would be set up in six months.

Locals should get priority

Speaker of the state legislative assembly, Rahul Narwekar, said that local people should be given priority when it comes to addressing the stray dog menace.

[popcorn number="94K" desc="Approximate no. of stray dogs in Mumbai" class="Default"]