No dedicated shelters, only one ABC centre but Faridabad civic body confident of managing stray dog population

However, on managing the population of stray dogs in Faridabad, MCF health officer Dr Nitish Parwal told The Indian Express, “We will do it… we are up for it, the planning and discussions for the same are currently on. It is not as big an issue (logistically) as is being made out.”

The district, however, has only one animal birth control (ABC) centre near the Aravallis at the Faridabad-Gurgaon road.

“We currently sterilise and vaccinate over 300 dogs there monthly. There are no recent scientific estimates on the number of stray dogs in the city, but we have internally put the estimate at around 50,000. We will implement the order… that number is not an issue.”

Between January 2022 to June 2023, the district saw 12,939 dog bite cases, as per the data submitted by the Haryana government in 2024 to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, documenting 2.14 lakh dog bite cases across the state over the 18-month- period.

On the latest count of dog bite cases in Faridabad, District Chief Medical Officer Dr Jayant Ahuja told The Indian Express that there were 14,122 dog bite cases in the district last year, while this year till date, the district has seen 9,008 cases.

The statement of the Faridabad civic body assumes significance as similar optimism was not fully shared in neighbouring Millennium City.

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) last week said it is planning to scale up vaccination and sterilisation of stray dogs in the wake of the order. “To be honest, right now, we are finding it a little difficult. We will begin identifying land and appropriate buildings soon for the centres. We do not have clarity on whether the shelters should be in an enclosed or an open area,” MCG Joint-Commissioner Preeptpal Singh had said.

The MCG, through its tie-up with two NGOs, supervises work at two ABC centres, at Baliawas and Kherki Majra, and does not have its own shelters.

The MCG, Singh added, is looking to push the number of vaccinations and sterilisations from 300 to 1,200 a month, once the number of centres is increased to four.