What happened?
Ghaziabad's Indirapuram area — one of the most densely populated planned residential zones in the NCR — has launched an intensive Animal Birth Control (ABC) sterilisation and vaccination drive in partnership with local RWAs, the municipal corporation, and private veterinary organisations. If successful, it could become a model for the rest of Ghaziabad and other UP cities struggling with the stray dog population management challenge.
Key Points
- Indirapuram ABC drive targeting 1,500+ stray dogs for sterilisation and vaccination over 60 days
- Partnership between Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam, RWA federations, and private NGOs
- Stray dog bite cases in Ghaziabad were among UP's highest in 2025 with 22,000+ reported
- Supreme Court guidelines mandate ABC rather than culling — sterilisation is the only legal method
- Previous municipal drives failed due to lack of sustained follow-up — this drive claims a different approach
- Children under 10 are the most common bite victims — especially during summer when dogs are more aggressive
Background
Stray dogs are one of India's most persistent urban management challenges. India has an estimated 35 million stray dogs — more than any other country in the world. They are a significant source of dog bite injuries (India has the world's highest number of human rabies deaths) and a source of genuine fear for residents, particularly children, elderly people, and cyclists.
Indian law, guided by Supreme Court judgments and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, prohibits killing stray dogs. The only legally permissible method of population management is Animal Birth Control — catching dogs, sterilising and vaccinating them, and releasing them back. The challenge is that this requires consistent, sustained effort to be effective, and municipalities have historically struggled to maintain such programmes.
Main Details
The Indirapuram drive is notable for several reasons. First, it has active RWA involvement — resident associations are providing feeding data, helping identify dog concentrations, and monitoring release points. This community involvement is unusual and potentially crucial for sustainability.
Second, it involves systematic record-keeping — each dog is tagged with an identification mark after sterilisation and vaccination, allowing follow-up monitoring to confirm the programme's effectiveness over time.
Third, it uses private veterinary capacity — government veterinary resources are insufficient for scale operations, and partnering with private vets expands the throughput significantly.
The drive is targeting 1,500 dogs over 60 days — an ambitious number that would require sterilising approximately 25 dogs per day.
Reactions
Many Indirapuram residents have welcomed the drive enthusiastically, particularly parents of young children. Some animal welfare advocates have noted that the drive needs to be accompanied by community dog feeding management and reducing food waste that attracts dogs.
A small minority of residents has objected to the removal of dogs that they feed and care for informally, highlighting the complex social relationships that urban Indians develop with their neighbourhood strays.
Impact Analysis
If the Indirapuram drive achieves its targets and is sustained over 3–5 years, mathematical models suggest dog bite incidence could reduce by 40–60 percent in the covered area. The public health benefit — reduced antirabies injections, hospitalisation, and trauma — would be significant. Success here could demonstrate a replicable model for Vaishali, Raj Nagar, Vasundhara, and other high-density NCR residential areas.
What Happens Next
The drive's 60-day timeframe ends in July 2026. Ghaziabad municipal officials have committed to monitoring outcomes and publishing results. Depending on effectiveness, there are plans to expand the model citywide in FY2027.
FAQ
Q: Is it legal to kill stray dogs in India?
A: No — Supreme Court guidelines prohibit killing stray dogs. Animal Birth Control (sterilisation + vaccination) is the only legal method.
Q: What is the ABC programme?
A: Animal Birth Control involves catching stray dogs, sterilising them to prevent reproduction, vaccinating them against rabies, and returning them to their area.
Q: How many stray dog bites happen in Ghaziabad annually?
A: Ghaziabad reported over 22,000 dog bite cases in 2025 — among UP's highest.
Q: Will sterilisation remove dogs from the streets?
A: No — sterilised dogs are returned to the area. The goal is to reduce the population over time, not immediate removal.
Q: Who can I call if I witness an aggressive stray dog?
A: Contact Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam's animal control helpline or your local RWA, which can coordinate with the NGO partners.