Mohali’s stray dog problem has been building for years, and the city still doesn’t have a single functional animal shelter to show for it. That may be about to change. The Mohali Municipal Corporation has formally written to the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) requesting one acre of land in Sector 57 to construct a dedicated dog shelter. This move comes under pressure from both residents and the Supreme Court.
The Core Problem: No Land, No Shelter
Unlike most cities, Mohali MC does not own significant land within its own jurisdiction. The bulk of usable land in the area falls under GMADA’s purview, which has made it difficult for the civic body to act on longstanding plans for animal welfare infrastructure.
Deputy Mayor Kuljit Singh Bedi, who has been pushing for the shelter for some time, summed up the bind plainly: “Mohali Municipal Corporation does not possess land, and most of the land falls under GMADA. I have even raised this matter in the high court. Punjab’s dog policy has taken shape only after a long struggle. Now there should be no delay in providing land and constructing the shelter as per the guidelines.”
Bedi has written to the Deputy Commissioner Mohali, the Chief Secretary of Punjab, and the Chief Administrator of GMADA requesting urgent action, flagging that while Chandigarh has already begun building its own dog shelter in compliance with a Supreme Court deadline, Mohali remains behind.
What the Shelter Is Meant to Do
The proposed facility is not just a holding space for stray dogs. According to officials, the shelter is envisioned as a full-service centre that would house veterinary doctors, medicines, food, treatment facilities, animal birth control (ABC) procedures, anti-rabies vaccination, and daily care. Residents would also be encouraged to come in and adopt dogs, which the MC sees as one of the more effective long-term ways to reduce the number of strays on the streets.
Bedi stressed that the shelter needs to be properly resourced to be meaningful. “The dog shelter must include doctors, medicines, food, treatment, breeding control and daily care facilities so that the stray dogs could remain safe.”
Years of Inaction, Growing Pressure
The demand for a dog shelter in Mohali is not new. The city has been grappling with rising stray dog numbers for years, and the MC’s track record on the issue has been patchy. Sterilisation drives have stopped and restarted multiple times due to funding and logistical hurdles. A compensation committee for dog bite victims was set up over a year ago. Still, of the roughly 80 cases that piled up, only two victims have actually received any compensation so far, according to reports. The documentation process is cumbersome and, as multiple applicants have noted, police rarely file FIRs in dog bite cases, making it even harder to qualify.
The Supreme Court has been pushing civic bodies across India to put formal animal welfare infrastructure in place, and Chandigarh’s parallel push to build its own shelter has thrown Mohali’s inaction into sharper relief. Phase-4 resident NS Kalsi was among those who have publicly called on the administration to stop delaying.
What Comes Next
The MC’s request is now with GMADA. If the land in Sector 57 is approved, the civic body will need to move quickly on design, tendering, and construction to get anything functional off the ground. Given the history of delays on this issue, residents and officials alike are watching to see whether this formal request finally breaks the logjam.
For a city where stray dog attacks remain a regular concern, particularly for children and elderly residents, the shelter cannot come soon enough.