On Wednesday, as the Supreme Court refused to recall its decision to remove stray dogs from public places such as hospitals, schools, and railway stations, Ward No. 100 of the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation (GMC) quietly celebrated a rare achievement: every community dog in the ward has been sterilised. Furthermore, several have been adopted and collared, leading to a peaceful coexistence with human neighbours in Shipra Sun City, the township that predominantly makes up the ward.
First in Uttar Pradesh
According to GMC, this is the first ward across Uttar Pradesh's 17 municipal corporations to achieve 100% community dog sterilisation. By February, Lucknow had sterilised 85% of its 1.4 lakh stray dogs, earning praise from the top court. But how did Ward 100 succeed?
The Strategy
Councillor Sanjay Singh revealed that the Shipra Sun City Owners Association formed a dog-monkey committee with representation from animal rights sympathisers and RWA members. Together, they created a conducive environment for GMC to sterilise 102 of the 182 community dogs smoothly. The remaining dogs, adopted by residents or NGOs, were sterilised at private facilities.
"Initially, both sides viewed each other with suspicion, but over time trust was established. For the first time, the problem of community dogs was analysed threadbare, which helped achieve what Shipra Sun City has achieved," said Ranjan Thakur, a committee member.
Survey and Implementation
Thakur explained that over six months since December last year, 12 lanes of the township's Phase 1 were surveyed in the presence of GMC officials to identify 182 stray dogs. The data was shared with GMC, after which the corporation's dog catcher squad—assisted by animal welfare groups including PFA, PETA, and AIWB—picked up the dogs in phases, sterilised them, and returned each animal to its original location.
Dinesh Saini, a PFA member, said the group provided exact locations of all community dogs along with details of gender, health, age, and temperament. "We stood guard and ensured they were not ill-treated, and the whole process was carried out ethically," he said, adding that the operation went smoothly. "In two years, since the community was first set up, we managed to achieve what no ward in the state has achieved so far."
Adoption and Care
Saini noted that more than 80 community dogs have since been adopted and sterilised. He personally adopted five, sterilising and deworming them before bringing them home. Adoption requires signing an undertaking as per the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules from GMC, stipulating that the animals must not be abandoned.
Dogs in the area are fed at four designated spots around 11:30 pm and early morning, when most bite cases have been reported. Vidya Jaganath, whose sister Prabha—a resident of the ward—was at the forefront of adopting community dogs, said, "My sister passed away recently, and by that time she had adopted about 25 community dogs. After her death, I took over their responsibility. Since I live in Bengaluru, I got the dogs shifted to a shelter home in Noida, which is also operated by our family."
Challenges and Resolution
Vinda Chavre, a member of the dog-monkey committee, said dog feeders helped study stray behaviour, identifying that dogs were fed at four designated spots during periods when they were most aggressive and bite cases were common. Feeding spots were subsequently shifted away from frequently used areas.
The process faced hurdles. Councillor Singh recalled one dog in lane 2 that would vanish every time the catching squad arrived, only to reappear once they left. "It took a week and five attempts before the animal was finally caught and sterilised," he said.
Lalit Pandey of Windsor Nova apartment said FIRs, complaints, skirmishes, dog bites, and flared tempers were once common. "There are many who still have FIRs lodged against them over the issue of community dogs," he said, adding that the community worked hard to bring both sides together. "The result is for everyone to see."
Nitin Mishra, father of eight-year-old Artika and a resident of Regal Apartment in Lane 1, recalled that a couple of years ago, he did not allow his daughter to play in the society for fear of a dog attack. "Things have improved. The community dog population has stabilised, and in the recent past I have not heard of any dog bite cases," he said.
