In a move to curb stray dog menace, Delhi LG V K Saxena has approved the allotment of land for setting up a dog sterilization centre cum veterinary hospital and dispensary in southwest Delhi's Vasant Kunj area, Raj Niwas officials said on Friday.

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) will allot a plot of land measuring 483 square metres to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for developing the facility in public-private partnership (PPP) mode.

While approving the proposal, the LG directed the DDA to ensure that since the proposed facility comes under essential municipal services, the sterilisation of stray dogs should be done free of cost.

Revenue generated from the centre through other means, like services and treatment of pets should be used for running the facility, officials said.

The centre will be set up in build operate and transfer mode with the conditions that all expenses for construction, medical equipment, operations and payment to employees shall be borne by the PPP partners selected through a bidding process, they said.

The successful bidder will pay an annual license fee to the MCD.

According to officials, the proposal for setting up the centre was pending since 2019.

The LG Secretariat, in light of the growing incidents of dog bites and the rising menace of stray dogs in the city, had said that the land being allotted by DDA to the MCD should be on the condition that it provides free services for the sterilization of stray dogs.

In the recent past, there have been several incidents where stray dogs have attacked people leading to deaths in some cases.

The Animal Birth Control (Dog) Rule, 2001, deals with the population control of strays. It provides for the neutering strays to achieve population stabilisation, as opposed to killing them. Improper implementation of this law is also seen as a major reason behind the growing menace of stray dogs.

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