The amicus curiae also pointed out that the data regarding sterilisation and vaccination of dogs cover only 17 districts
Ahmedabad: Gujarat High Court was informed on Wednesday that 13 of the state’s 34 districts lack Animal Birth Control (ABC) centres, while data on stray dog sterilisation and vaccination has been furnished for only 17 districts. The amicus curiae also pointed out that the data regarding sterilisation and vaccination of dogs cover only 17 districts. The govt pleader enumerated the efforts to secure institutional premises from the stray dog menace: 79,150 institutions have been inspected, and a total of 754 stray dogs have been removed. He claimed that 7,130 institutional premises have been cleared of stray dogs. As many as 6,478 nodal officers have been appointed to monitor and deal with the issue.
After the hearing, the bench ordered, “Learned advocates appearing for the respective respondents may file necessary affidavits along with all the relevant documents on or before 3.11.2026.” The high court has been hearing a suo motu PIL on the stray dog issue following directions from Supreme Court. All high courts have been asked to monitor and report on compliance with the apex court’s directives to tackle the stray dog menace in public places and institutional premises, including sterilisation and vaccination drives. The apex court has ordered that every district should have at least one ABC centre. On this issue, govt pleader GH Virk explained that state govt does not have the facility in every district, but there are bigger centres that cater to the requirements of the nearby districts. However, the efforts are underway to create facilities in every district. During the hearing, the bench of acting Chief Justice MR Pathak and Justice Nirzar Desai suggested that govt have a buffer stock of anti-rabies vaccine in every district place.