The BMC plans to shift stray dogs picked up from sensitive locations such as schools, hospitals and railway stations to designated shelters after sterilisation and vaccination. A two-year contract with the Janice Smith Animal Welfare Trust is estimated at Rs 13.35 crore, with Rs 155 per dog per day allocated for food, shelter and care.

Stray dogs picked up from schools, hospitals, stations and other sensitive locations may be shifted to designated shelters under the proposed BMC system | AI Generated File Image

Mumbai, October 5, 2026: The BMC is planning a new system for managing stray dogs picked up from sensitive public locations, under which the animals will be shifted to designated shelters instead of being released back after sterilisation and vaccination.

The proposed arrangement covers dogs found in and around schools and colleges, hospitals, sports complexes, bus stations and depots, inter-state bus terminals and railway stations. The civic body will pay Rs 155 per dog per day towards shelter, food, vaccination, medical treatment and other care.

Two-Year Shelter Contract Proposed

The BMC has proposed a two-year contract with the Janice Smith Animal Welfare Trust, an Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI)-recognised organisation. The contract is estimated to cost Rs 13.35 crore, including GST, with the annual expenditure expected to be around Rs 5.66 crore.

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The dogs will undergo sterilisation and vaccination before being shifted to shelters, where they will remain under care for the rest of their lives. The appointed organisation will be responsible for registering the animals and providing food, water, medical treatment, vaccination, hygiene and other daily care.

The BMC selected the organisation after inviting applications from AWBI-recognised animal welfare bodies. According to the civic administration, the trust operates a dog shelter in Panchgani and has experience running Animal Birth Control (ABC) centres in Vasai, Virar, Saphale and Kalyan-Dombivli.

Policy Follows Supreme Court Directions

The move follows Supreme Court directions concerning stray dogs in sensitive public locations. “At present, dogs picked up by the BMC are taken to one of its seven ABC centres for sterilisation and vaccination before being released back in the same area. The proposed policy will create an exception for dogs picked up from specified sensitive locations, which will instead be moved to designated shelters,” said a senior civic official.

For monitoring, the organisation will have to maintain GPS-based records, photographic logs and digital reports tracking each dog from pickup to shelter. Shelters will also be required to provide nutritious food at least twice a day, special diets where medically necessary, clean drinking water, ventilation, shade and safe resting areas, besides regular cleaning and disinfection.

Extension To Depend On Review

The arrangement will initially run for two years. Any extension will be considered after reviewing the number of dogs housed, expenditure, the organisation’s performance and the availability of BMC-run shelters.

Also Watch:

Stray Dog Data

90,757: Estimated stray-dog population in Mumbai in 2024, down from 95,172 a decade earlier.

4.34 lakh: Stray dogs sterilised in Mumbai between 1994 and August 2025.

1.53 lakh+: Dogs sterilised since 2017, according to civic data.

Rs 23.31 crore: Cost of the BMC’s recently approved plan to sterilise 33,671 dogs over three years.

2024 survey: Conducted by the BMC in collaboration with Humane Society International/India (HSI) to assess Mumbai’s stray-dog population.

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