A doctor returning home on her two-wheeler in Reshimbagh was chased by a pack of stray dogs. Panicked, she lost control of the vehicle, crashed into a wall and suffered injuries. Residents said a team from the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), Hanuman Nagar Zone reached the area two days later, but the intervention did little to change the situation. It is a pattern in different parts of the city: complaints are made, officials are contacted and, sometimes after repeated follow-ups, a dog-catching van eventually arrives. But in several cases, residents say the dogs continue to roam the same streets, while there is no clearly defined system to ensure that repeated complaints receive priority. The concern assumes greater significance because Nagpur’s stray dog management is already under scrutiny.

 

The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court has previously directed the civic authorities to take concrete measures to control the menace. In 2025, it sought accountability from 23 NMC officials over alleged non-compliance with earlier directions, including formulation of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), expansion of shelter facilities, and other measures. Yet on the ground, residents say there is little sense of a uniform response mechanism. Several residents who spoke to ‘The Hitavada’ said that after filing a complaint, dog-catching teams either failed to turn up or arrived very late, sometimes by 15 to 20 days. In some cases directly approaching a senior officer did produce a quicker response. A van would arrive within a day or two. But even then, they said, the intervention often did not resolve the problem. 

 

 

An NMC Animal Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, indicated there was no SOP governing handling of stray dog complaints. Asked whether locations receiving repeated complaints were automatically classified as high-risk and prioritised for intervention, the official indicated that the response depended on the concerned zone. The officer also said deployment of the vans and the number of personnel accompanying them depended on complaints and the zone, rather than following a clearly defined uniform protocol. In Gandhi Nagar, resident Dipin Chaube living near Maharashtra Adhyayan Mandir High School said several complaints about stray dogs had been made a couple of years ago and were followed up repeatedly, but no sustained action followed. At one point, residents began improvising. One resident bought an air gun to create a loud noise and scare the dogs away. The measure offered temporary relief, but did not address the underlying problem. Residents in Ahuja Nagar near Bhim Chowk in Jaripatka have also reported a persistent problem with stray dogs in the residential area.

 

 

The problem is worsened by the disruption of the city’s Animal Birth Control programme, which has remained stalled since March 31. The Bhandewadi ABC centre, which would ordinarily play a role in sterilisation, is currently not conducting the programme and is instead dealing with injured dogs and their treatment. Dog catching vans can respond to individual complaints, but sterilisation is one of the mechanisms intended to address the population over time. Repeated calls to NMC Chief Sanitation Officer Dr Gajendra Mahalle seeking his response to the complaints and functioning of the dog catching mechanism went unanswered. The question remains — who is responsible when the same problem remains on the street after the van has left?