In a decisive move, the Chandigarh administration has mobilised multiple government departments to execute a Supreme Court directive for the removal of stray dogs from five specific locations within the city. The order, issued on November 7, 2025, has been deemed unambiguous and mandatory for immediate implementation.
High-Level Meeting Sets Strict Deadlines
During a crucial high-level meeting held in the last week of November, Chandigarh Chief Secretary H Rajesh Prasad underscored the imperative for all concerned departments to adhere to the Supreme Court's directions in both letter and spirit. He emphasised that the court's order was self-explanatory and demanded a time-bound action plan. The administration is required to file a comprehensive affidavit of compliance within the period stipulated by the apex court.
A key decision from the meeting was the appointment of institutional heads as nodal officers. The Chief Secretary instructed the Secretary of Animal Husbandry to immediately process a proposal designating all principals, institute heads, and department heads as nodal officers for their respective institutions. For effective oversight, these heads will serve as principal nodal officers, with the authority to appoint sub-nodal officers. However, the principal nodal officer retains ultimate responsibility for fulfilling the court's mandate.
Transparency and Engineering Interventions
The administration has mandated full transparency in this process. All nodal officers must submit a list of identified institutions to the Municipal Corporation (MC) before December 5, 2025. Furthermore, details of the appointed nodal and sub-nodal officers must be prominently displayed in front of these institutions by December 10, 2025.
The meeting also outlined procedures for necessary infrastructural changes. Nodal or sub-nodal officers are required to communicate any required engineering interventions—such as repairs to boundary walls or fencing—to the UT Engineering Department. This department is tasked with completing all such work promptly to prevent stray dogs from entering educational or institutional premises.
Municipal Corporation's Critical Role
The Municipal Corporation, in coordination with the nodal officers, has been directed to round up and remove all stray or aggressive dogs from the identified campuses. Additionally, the MC is responsible for establishing dog pounds or shelters with adequate capacity, infrastructure, and resources.
Compliance is being tracked in two parts. For Part I of the judgement, the MC must supply required information by December 5, 2025. For Part II, which deals with the removal and sheltering of stray animals and the status of helpline facilities, the MC has to provide its implementation mechanism and an updated status report. The installation of boards displaying helpline numbers is a joint task for the MC and the UT Engineering Department, with a status report due by December 15, 2025.
To ensure round-the-clock vigilance, the SSP (Traffic & Security), Chandigarh, has been asked to coordinate with area patrolling teams for 24x7 monitoring of stray animals and to report its status to the local government department by December 10, 2025.
The Chief Secretary has issued a final directive to all administrative secretaries and department heads, instructing them to ensure all actions under the Supreme Court's November 7 order are completed within the set deadlines. A comprehensive action taken report is to be submitted through the MC Commissioner to prepare the final compliance affidavit by December 15, 2025.
