MCD plans 3 new Delhi dog shelters; 54K strays sterilized

• MCD plans three new dog shelters in Delhi; one in Dwarka is underway, with two more proposed at Bella Road and Bijwasan.
• The civic body has sterilized and immunized 54,623 stray dogs under its Animal Birth Control (ABC) program.
• The Dwarka shelter will house 1,000-1,500 aggressive, ferocious, and rabies-infected dogs.
• These initiatives follow judicial directives and Supreme Court scrutiny regarding stray dog management in Delhi.
• MCD approved a policy imposing strict penalties on NGO-operated ABC centers for rabies cases or failed sterilisations.

Why It Matters: MCD's new shelters and sterilization balance public safety with animal welfare in Delhi.