Chennai Corporation puts plan for permanent street dog shelters on hold, cites fund crunch

Chennai Corporation delays permanent street dog shelters due to financial issues, while constructing temporary facilities to address public safety concerns.

The Greater Chennai Corporation has postponed plans for setting up permanent shelters for street dogs citing financial constraints.

GCC Commissioner J. Kumaragurubaran said the Corporation is constructing two dog shelters in Manali and Perungudi Zones, each with a capacity of 250 dogs. The shelters are intended for rabid and rabies-affected dogs.

When asked regarding permanent sheltering of street dogs in public spaces, he said, “A portion of the facilities will be used for implementation of a Supreme Court order. Both shelters are expected to become operational by the end of March. There are financial constraints.”

The total capacity of the two shelters will be 500 dogs. Each facility is being built at a cost of ₹2 crore. The design has been provided by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), he told The Hindu.

Meanwhile, concerns over the threat posed by street dogs remain in the city. David Mantel, a resident of Madhavaram, said his 10-year-old son was bitten by a dog outside a tailor shop where six to seven dogs are fed. He said, “All those animals lie down on the shop’s steps. One of them is often ferocious, especially towards children. While a few managed to escape earlier, my son was not so fortunate on New Year’s day. The dog ran towards him, bit his ankle and would not let go. The wound was nearly an inch deep,” Mr. Mantel said.

“People who feed dogs must also take responsibility. They must own them, obtain licences and shelter them within their premises. Otherwise, overprotective and territorial dogs may attack passers-by,” he said and added that he had written to the Mayor and Public Health officials on January 7 regarding the issue, but received no reply.