A group of stray dogs in New Delhi on September 17, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Sushil Kumar Verma
The State Animal Birth Control (ABC) Monitoring Committee on Wednesday (September 17, 2025) called for stricter implementation of rules in line with the Supreme Court’s August 22 order on stray dogs and Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) guidelines to ensure “increased scrutiny and transparency”.Pointing to the lack of accountability by the implementing agencies, including civic authorities and NGOs, which was recently flagged by courts, Gauri Maulekhi, a member of the State ABC panel, said, “Leaving implementation solely to these agencies has failed to deliver effective stray dog management across the city. We will oversee the implementation and check violations of the guidelines.”The monitoring committee, established in all States and Union Territories under the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, is responsible for monitoring the implementation of the ABC programmes to reduce man-animal conflict and eradicate rabies.The committee has been reconstituted by the Delhi Government and is headed by the Urban Development Department Secretary, with meetings now scheduled every two months to track progress and compliance.Ms. Maulekhi’s remark came two days after the government notified new guidelines for ABC programmes.The reinforced guidelines, notified by the government on Monday, elaborated detailed steps for street dog population management, rabies eradication, and reduction of human-dog conflict. The letter issued to civic authorities, including MCD and the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) reiterated that, only Animal Welfare Organizations recognized by AWBI are allowed to conduct sterilisation drives.Additionally, ABC centres must now meet strict infrastructure criteria, including having kennels, operation theatres with power backup, CCTV surveillance, mobile vans, and incinerators. Status reports, both monthly and annual, must be submitted to AWBI through the State ABC Monitoring Committee. Stricter implementation of the reimbursement process has to followed: sterilisation costs will be reimbursed only after verifying the number of organs removed during surgeries as per ABC rules 2023.Furthermore, in cases of disputes between Resident Welfare Associations (RWA) and residents, the committee prescribed under Rule 20 of the ABC Rules, 2023, will inspect and resolve conflicts. Protocols have also been outlined for managing aggressive or rabid dogs, including their isolation or permanent housing in AWBI-recognized shelters.She also added that the committee has streamlined grievance redressal mechanisms, allowing aggrieved parties to directly approach the State Monitoring Committee instead of relying solely on MCD decisions. Published - September 18, 2025 05:35 am IST
