The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) on Tuesday reissued its long-pending dog census tender and decided to convert three cattle pounds into dog shelters, hours after the Supreme Court warned states of heavy compensation for deaths or injuries caused by stray dog attacks.
The decision came on a tense day for civic authorities, as a special three-judge bench made strong observations during a hearing on the stray dog issue. “For every dog bite, death or injury caused to children or the elderly, we are likely to fix heavy compensation on the state for not doing nothing. Liability and accountability will also be fixed on those who say they are feeding dogs. Do it, take them to your house. Why should dogs be roaming around, biting and scaring people?” Justice J.B. Pardiwala remarked.
₹30-lakh dog census tender reissued
The civic body reissued the dog census tender on Tuesday after it failed to attract bidders earlier, when the base price was fixed at ₹30 lakh. Officials said the lack of bidders delayed the census, which is crucial for planning vaccination and sterilisation drives. “We are hopeful that the reissued tender will receive responses. Otherwise, managing the stray dog population will become even more challenging,” an AMC official said.
Three cattle pounds to be converted
AMC has decided to convert cattle pounds at Naroda, Vastral and Lambha into shelters for stray dogs. One of the facilities is expected to become operational from March 1, while the remaining two are likely to start functioning from March 26.
However, the capacity of these shelters remains limited. Together, the three facilities can accommodate only about 650 dogs, compared to an estimated stray dog population of around 2.10 lakh in the city.
NGO shortage and post-sterilisation issues
Civic officials admitted that engaging NGOs for large-scale sterilisation, treatment of sick dogs and handling rabies cases continues to be a major challenge. Another unresolved concern is identifying suitable areas for releasing sterilised dogs after treatment, in line with animal welfare norms.
Rising complaints and dog bite cases
AMC receives nearly 20 complaints related to stray dog harassment every day. On Tuesday alone, 52 stray dogs were taken to civic shelters.
Data released by AMC around three months ago highlights the scale of the problem. Between January and October 2025, a total of 66,136 people were bitten by stray dogs in Ahmedabad — an average of 181 cases per day.