BMC begins hunt for land to build Mumbai’s first dog shelters after SC order

Following a Supreme Court order to remove street dogs from schools, hospitals, and other public institutions, the BMC has begun scouting land across Mumbai to build the city’s first network of dog shelters. With no civic-run shelters currently in place and limited open land available, the civic body plans to use a public-private partnership model and repurpose amenity plots to house sterilised and vaccinated dogs relocated from institutional premises.

2025
November the month the SC verdict was passed

Current situation in Mumbai

. BMC-run dog shelters: 0
. Dog population estimate: NGO-assisted census being carried out
. Land availability: Severely limited, finding suitable land is the biggest hurdle

Civic body’s action plan

Land identification
. Use DCPR 2034 amenity plots marked as gardens or markets
. Convert select plots for animal shelter use
. Seek vacant state government land for transfer to BMC
 
Implementation model
. Development through Public-Private Partnership (PPP)
. NGOs invited to submit expressions of interest

Why this move now

. Supreme Court order: November 2025
. The court directed local bodies to: Remove dogs from schools, colleges, hospitals, and public institutions
. Sterilise and vaccinate animals
. Relocate them to shelters

Potential locations under review

Remote pockets of the western suburbs, including:
. Andheri
. Jogeshwari
. Goregaon
. Malad
. Kandivli
. Borivli

Timeline

. Land identification: 6-8 months
. Shelter planning and execution: To follow the land allocation

Scale of the project

Estimated relocation capacity: 
Up to 90,000 dogs
. Only dogs from institutions covered under the current order
. Sterilisation and vaccination are mandatory before relocation