Delhi may have to spend more for dog shelters than what it spends for health of Delhiites

The Delhi government may have to spend more on creating and maintaining dog shelters than on healthcare for its residents, following a Supreme Court directive to remove all stray dogs from the city’s streets.

According to animal rights activist and former Union minister Maneka Gandhi, Delhi has around three lakh stray dogs. “To get them all off the roads, you’ll need 3,000 shelters—each with drainage, water, a shed, a kitchen, and a watchman. That will cost about ₹15,000 crore,” she told PTI. By comparison, the Delhi government’s 2025–26 budget allocates ₹12,894 crore for Health and Family Welfare.

Calling the stray dog menace “extremely grim,” the apex court had on Monday ordered the Delhi government and civic bodies to pick up strays from all localities and place them in shelters, warning of strict action against those who obstruct the process. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has promised a policy for a “planned” implementation, while Development Minister Kapil Mishra said the move would “free the city from the fear of rabies and stray animals.”


However, the order has triggered strong criticism. PETA India’s Shaurya Agrawal called it “impractical, illogical, and illegal” under animal birth control rules, noting that Delhi has about 10 lakh dogs, only half of which are sterilised. Housing them in shelters, he said, would “create chaos and more problems.”

Gandhi also deemed the order “unworkable” and “potentially harmful” to the ecological balance. Feeding the impounded dogs alone, she estimated, would cost another ₹5 crore per week. She alleged the case was based on a false report of a dog attack and questioned the ruling’s legality, pointing to a contradictory Supreme Court judgment a month earlier.

Removing strays, she warned, could invite new problems—such as an influx of dogs from nearby cities and an increase in monkeys and rodents. Gandhi argued for enforcing an agreed 14-point plan focusing on sterilisation, vaccination, banning relocation, regulating pet sales, and monitoring ABC centres. “Within two years, we could have fewer dogs, no biting incidents, and peaceful coexistence,” she said. “This judgment derails everything and risks street clashes between dog catchers and feeders.”