Delhi Mayor Iqbal Singh has welcomed the Supreme Court’s directive to relocate stray dogs in Delhi-NCR to shelters, promising implementation within six weeks. The decision, however, has drawn sharp criticism from animal rights activists, including BJP leader Maneka Gandhi, who labelled the ruling “angry” and “not doable.”
Speaking to ANI, Singh said, “I welcome the Supreme Court’s order, as the people of Delhi were facing a lot of problems. We will try our best to implement this order in the next six weeks.” He added that while there are currently no shelter homes, the city has 10 operational sterilisation centres, and both the MCD and the Delhi government will work to create temporary or permanent facilities.
Maneka Gandhi, however, questioned the feasibility of the plan, citing the absence of even a single government-run shelter in the capital. “Where will you put 3 lakh dogs? You don’t even have one shelter. To build 3,000 shelters would cost at least ₹15,000 crore, plus the need for 1.5 lakh sanitation workers. This cannot be done in two months,” she said, adding that the order seemed to come from “anger” rather than practicality.
On Monday, the Supreme Court bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan ordered that all localities be made free of stray dogs, with no captured animals released back on the streets. It also warned of contempt proceedings against anyone obstructing the relocation drive.
The ruling triggered protests late Monday night, as animal rights activists, rescuers, and caregivers gathered at India Gate before being detained by police. One caregiver told ANI while being taken away, “They don’t want us to talk. I am being detained for feeding animals.”
