New Delhi, Oct 19 The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has sterilised and immunised 65,784 stray dogs till August this year, according to an RTI reply from the Veterinary Services Department.
According to official data, the MCD had sterilised and immunised 1,31,137 dogs during 2024-25. The number stood at 1,01,394 in 2025-26.
The reply stated that 65,784 stray dogs had been sterilised and immunised during the eight-month period from January to August 2026.
In its 2026-27 budget, MCD has earmarked Rs 20 crore for the development of dog shelters and another Rs 20 crore for microchipping strays, which is the highest allocation in recent years, although the pace remains slow.
Officials said that the figures for the month of September are still being processed.
The department provided the figure in a response dated October 12 to an RTI application, which sought information on stray dogs.
Officials further added that the civic body is working on an SOP for sterilisation and anti-rabies vaccination of stray dogs, with emphasis on humane capture, proper post-surgery care and return of the animals to their original localities.
They also said that microchipping had been introduced at the Bijwasan ABC centre in July this year on a pilot model, and 600-700 dogs per month were being microchipped along with sterilisation and anti-rabies vaccination in the facility.
According to officials, the last time MCD conducted a dog survey was in 2016, when the exercise was carried out in four administrative zones (South, West, Central and West) under the erstwhile South Delhi Corporation and roughly 1,90,000 dogs were enumerated.
Senior officials from the veterinary department said the current dog population in the capital is likely to be around 10 lakh or more.
They added that the civic body is currently expanding its Animal Birth Control (ABC) infrastructure by increasing kennel capacity and setting up new centres across the city to step up sterilisation and immunisation of stray dogs.
(PTI News)
