After UGC orders ‘dog-free’ campuses following SC warning, Pune universities say ‘it is really difficult’
Faced with a Supreme Court-backed directive to clear campuses of stray dogs, universities in Pune — including the sprawling 400-acre SPPU — are hitting a wall.
A stay order on municipal corporations against the relocation of animals, until a solution that is “humane” for both humans and more-than-humans is found, would also help in reducing knee-jerk actions (File Photo)
After the University Grants Commission (UGC) directed all higher education institutions across the country to ensure stray dogs are kept off campuses, several universities in and around Pune said that their large open campuses, staff crunch, and people’s affinity towards canines make it challenging to implement the order.
In its notice, UGC also directed, in December last year, that the name of the nodal officer responsible for keeping stray dogs away should be prominently displayed at the campus entrance and notified to the local municipal or jurisdictional body.
“The Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, noting a significant rise in dog-bite incidents in institutional areas, has issued stringent and time-bound directions to all States/UTs and the Union of India to secure educational institutions and other public places from stray dog ingress vide order dated 7th November, 2025…” the UGC notice said.
Pushback from animal lovers
A senior official at Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), which spans a 400-acre campus on Ganeshkhind Road, said visitors are allowed in freely, and there is regular vehicular traffic on the premises.
“It is an open campus. Barring COVID, it has remained open. Even during COVID, I had a lot of trouble keeping the doors shut. It is a public state university, you cannot stop it as well… This (directive) will not work,” Professor Nitin Karmalkar, who served as the vice-chancellor of SPPU from 2017 to 2022, said.
“I have stayed at the campus as VC, and basically all the people who come for an early morning walk are pet lovers, and they feed the dogs. Once I tried to stop them, but they did not like it,” added Karmalkar.
He also pointed out that there is a shortage of manpower at SPPU. “There is a lack of resource persons for teaching … Where will they get this person?”
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The Indian Express has reported on SPPU’s staff shortage, with 62 per cent of the government-sanctioned faculty positions vacant as of September 2025. Vacancy amongst non-teaching staff remains high as well.
Not just the central university but also affiliated and autonomous colleges are facing staff shortages due to a state government hiring freeze that has lasted over five years.
Current SPPU Vice Chancellor Suresh Gosavi could not be reached for a comment.
‘We need trained people’
Professor Manohar Chaskar, Vice Chancellor, Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University, Nanded, also said that in a campus spread across 600 acres, it isn’t easy to control the movement of dogs.
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“We don’t have a walled compound. As per the government instructions, we will take precautions, but they (dogs) can’t be stopped 100 per cent.”
Professor Avinash Moharil, Principal, Sir Parashurambhau College, Pune, said they have started restricting people from entering the campus, “but it is not an easy task to convince them.”
“It is really difficult (to get the dogs off campus) in the sense that they are staying here for a long time. People walk on our campus. We issue passes at a nominal fee, especially to senior citizens. They feed the dogs as well,” said Moharil.
He said they are trying to follow the Supreme Court orders, adding, “It is really difficult”. “We have appointed a professor for the task, but to pick up dogs is not really something we can do. It is difficult to catch a dog. We need trained people for that,” he said.
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“Even if we catch them, people are really attached to the dogs. In our college, we have a professional security agency as well, but they are also not able to catch the dogs,” he added.
Soham Shah is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Pune. A journalism graduate with a background in fact-checking, he brings a meticulous and research-oriented approach to his current reporting.
Professional Background
Role: Correspondent coverig education and city affairs in Pune.
Specialization: His primary beat is education, but he also maintains a strong focus on civic issues, public health, human rights, and state politics.
Key Strength: Soham focuses on data-driven reporting on school and college education, government reports, and public infrastructure.
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
His late 2025 work highlights a transition from education-centric reporting to hard-hitting investigative and human-rights stories:
1. Investigations & Governance
"Express Impact: Mother's name now a must to download birth certificate from PMC site" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant policy change by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) following his earlier reports on gender inclusivity in administrative documents.
"44-Acre Mahar Land Controversy: In June, Pune official sought land eviction at Pawar son firm behest" (Nov 9, 2025): An investigative piece on real estate irregularities involving high-profile political families.
2. Education & Campus Life
Faculty crisis at SPPU hits research, admin work: 62% of govt-sanctioned posts vacant, over 75% in many depts (Sept 12, 2025): An investigative piece on professor vacancies at Savitribai Phule Pune University.
"Maharashtra’s controversial third language policy: Why National Curriculum Framework recommends a third language from Class 6" (July 2): This detailed piece unpacks reasons behind why the state's move to introduce a third language from class 1 was controversial.
"Decline in number of schools, teachers in Maharashtra but student enrolment up: Report" (Jan 2025): Analyzing discrepancies in the state's education data despite rising student numbers.
3. Human Rights & Social Issues
"Aanchal Mamidawar was brave after her family killed her boyfriend" (Dec 17, 2025): A deeply personal and hard-hitting opinion piece/column on the "crime of love" and honor killings in modern India.
"'People disrespect the disabled': Meet the man who has become face of racist attacks on Indians" (Nov 29, 2025): A profile of a Pune resident with severe physical deformities who became the target of global online harassment, highlighting issues of disability and cyber-bullying.
Signature Style
Soham is known for his civil-liberties lens. His reporting frequently champions the rights of the marginalized—whether it's students fighting for campus democracy, victims of regressive social practices, or residents struggling with crumbling urban infrastructure (as seen in his "Breathless Pune" contributions). He is adept at linking hyper-local Pune issues to larger national conversations about law and liberty.
X (Twitter): @SohamShah07 ... Read More
