Following a November 2025 Supreme Court directive, the BMC has started identifying land across Mumbai to establish its first civic-run dog shelters. The move aims to relocate sterilised and vaccinated street dogs from schools, hospitals and other public institutions under a PPP model
A stray dog sleeping inside the Mumbai Central railway station premises. File pic/Ashish Raje
Following a Supreme Court order to remove street dogs from schools, hospitals, and other public institutions, the BMC has begun scouting land across Mumbai to build the city’s first network of dog shelters. With no civic-run shelters currently in place and limited open land available, the civic body plans to use a public-private partnership model and repurpose amenity plots to house sterilised and vaccinated dogs relocated from institutional premises.
2025
November the month the SC verdict was passed
Current situation in Mumbai
. BMC-run dog shelters: 0
. Dog population estimate: NGO-assisted census being carried out
. Land availability: Severely limited, finding suitable land is the biggest hurdle
Civic body’s action plan
Land identification
. Use DCPR 2034 amenity plots marked as gardens or markets
. Convert select plots for animal shelter use
. Seek vacant state government land for transfer to BMC
Implementation model
. Development through Public-Private Partnership (PPP)
. NGOs invited to submit expressions of interest
Why this move now
. Supreme Court order: November 2025
. The court directed local bodies to: Remove dogs from schools, colleges, hospitals, and public institutions
. Sterilise and vaccinate animals
. Relocate them to shelters
Potential locations under review
Remote pockets of the western suburbs, including:
. Andheri
. Jogeshwari
. Goregaon
. Malad
. Kandivli
. Borivli
Timeline
. Land identification: 6-8 months
. Shelter planning and execution: To follow the land allocation
Scale of the project
Estimated relocation capacity:
Up to 90,000 dogs
. Only dogs from institutions covered under the current order
. Sterilisation and vaccination are mandatory before relocation
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