ABC Programme in Delhi: Fact Check
According to a report based on the visits to 20 ABC (16 functional) centres across Delhi and data obtained under RTI:
- There has been little to no implementation of the ABC program in Delhi from 2009 to 2016 as the street dog population in Delhi in 2009 was 2,62,740 and that within SDMC’s jurisdiction in 2016 was 1,89,285. The actual population of dogs in entire Delhi would have to be more than 1,89,285 in 2016. Even after carrying out the ABC program for 7 years between 2009 and 2016, the dog population in Delhi had not even reduced by 30%. Instead it is most likely to have increased.
- The MCD claims to have carried out 5,01,712 dog sterilizations from FY 2016-2017 to FY 2022-December 2022. However, considering the carrying capacity of Delhi had been 2,62,740 dogs in 2009, if almost twice the total population of dogs had been sterilized in just the past seven years then there should have been a marked reduction in the population of street dogs. Since there has been no such reduction, it is apparent that the programme has been carried out only on papers even till date.
- It is likely that there has been a massive relocation of dogs in Delhi as during the period between 2018 and 2023 (till February), the number of dog bite cases have been at an all-time high. In the aforementioned period, a total of 1,27,036 dog bite cases have taken place. It is also supported by the observation that most of the centres do not carry out identification tagging of dogs to safeguard against relocation.
- The infrastructure, housing capacity and number of Veterinarians at most of the centres are insufficient to carry out as many sterilisations as claimed by the MCD.
- In addition, several other issues were noted during the visits to the ABC Centres: such as wrong pickup locations of dogs by MCD’s dog catching squad, unsanitary enclosures, use of open kennels, no segregation of dogs based on location, gender and infirmities, inhumane catching methods and improper waste disposal in violation of the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023.