MARGAO
After failing to effectively support the implementation of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme in the commercial capital over the past five years, the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) has now turned to local animal feeders, handlers and resident volunteers for assistance in conducting a census of stray dogs, pet dogs and stray cattle within its jurisdiction.
The move follows a direction issued by the High Court of Bombay at Goa in Suo Motu Writ Petition No. 2 of 2026, in its order dated September 10, 2026. Margao Municipal Chief Officer Madhu Narvekar has appealed to residents, particularly feeders and animal handlers, to assist the civic body in compiling comprehensive data on the animal population in the city.
However, the initiative has also revived questions over the MMC’s failure to effectively address the stray dog problem over the past five years.
The civic body’s efforts to implement the ABC programme has remained largely stalled despite the MMC entering into an agreement with a local NGO to undertake sterilisation and vaccination of stray dogs. Sources said the programme has repeatedly faced difficulties due to an alleged lack of adequate financial and logistical support from the municipality.
Among the issues cited are the alleged non-availability of funds, dog catchers and a dedicated vehicle to transport dogs to and from the sterilisation facility. The absence of these basic logistical arrangements, sources said, has severely affected the NGO’s ability to conduct the programme on the ground.
Questions have also been raised over the use of the dog transportation vehicle associated with the programme. Sources said the vehicle has been put to other municipal uses, further hampering ABC implementation.
With the ABC programme failing to make the desired impact, the latest census drive is being viewed by animal welfare activists as an important step towards establishing the actual stray dog population and determining the number of animals that remain unsterilised or unvaccinated.
In a public notice, Chief Officer Narvekar informed residents within the MMC jurisdiction that government departments and other agencies would conduct a survey to collect data on stray dogs, pet dogs and stray cattle found on or near roads and highways within the municipal limits.
The Chief Officer has specifically sought the assistance of feeders and volunteers from Wards 1 to 25, asking them to share information about the number of stray dogs, pet dogs and stray cattle in their respective localities.
He said the exercise aims to systematically map the stray dog population, identify unsterilised and unvaccinated dogs and establish a baseline database that can subsequently be used to streamline community safety and animal welfare measures.
The information has been sought by September 25, 2026, with residents requested to contact the designated MMC representative to submit the details.
Narvekar further said the active involvement of local feeders, animal handlers and resident volunteers would help the survey team compile information on the health status of street dogs, their vaccination records and territorial patterns.
Such information, he said, would assist authorities in properly identifying and enumerating stray and pet dogs as well as stray cattle, while also helping prevent duplication of data during the census.
The civic body has also clarified that the exercise is strictly a data-collection initiative and that no animal will be captured, displaced or harmed during the process.
