12 August,2026 09:47 PM IST | Dharashiv | mid-day online correspondent
In Dharashiv, separate facilities will be established for large and small animals. Representational Pic
Authorities in Maharashtra's Dharashiv district have approved a Rs 23.14-crore project to build stray dog shelters and animal cremation facilities across eight nagar parishads and two nagar panchayats in the district, an official said.
The proposal was approved by Maharashtra Transport Minister and Dharashiv district guardian minister Pratap Sarnaik. The funds for the project will be allocated through the District Planning Committee (DPC), reported PTI.
The initiative aims to address the issue of stray dogs and provide facilities for the last rites of stray and domesticated animals in the district, officials said.
Dog shelters will be established across all 10 urban local bodies in Dharashiv district. These include the eight nagar parishads of Dharashiv, Tuljapur, Naldurg, Omerga, Murum, Kalamb, Bhum and Paranda, and the two nagar panchayats of Washi and Lohara Budruk, the news agency reported.
The local administration has finalised land for the proposed facilities in all areas except Murum, Washi, Kalamb and Lohara Budruk, according to the official.
In Dharashiv, separate facilities will be established for large and small animals.
The project is expected to provide dedicated infrastructure for stray animals while addressing concerns related to their shelter and the disposal of animal remains.
Meanwhile, the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has sterilised more than 2,950 free-ranging dogs (FRDs) in Ladakh since 2022 as part of an initiative to protect the endangered ecosystem and the breeding population of the black-necked crane (BNC), officials said.
The conservation programme is being carried out jointly with the Indian Army, Animal Husbandry Department, and Department of Forest, Ecology & Environment. It aims to reduce the threat posed by free-ranging dogs to BNC chicks and other wildlife in the region's alpine wetlands.
Free-ranging dogs have been found preying on black-necked crane chicks and disturbing nesting birds in the alpine wetlands of Ladakh. Their presence can also prevent cranes from settling in suitable areas for nesting, affecting their breeding success.
To address the issue, BNHS has combined dog sterilisation with efforts to reduce the availability of food waste that supports growing FRD populations.
A pilot waste-management project has also been launched at selected Indian Army outposts to improve the disposal of food and kitchen waste and limit access to anthropogenic food sources. Officials said integrating waste management with sterilisation could provide a more sustainable way of reducing dog-related threats in ecologically sensitive areas.
