New Delhi, Apr 10 (PTI) The Municipal Corporation of Delhi is set to roll out a citywide drive for microchipping and mass vaccination of stray dogs, with tenders likely to be floated within the next 15 days, officials said on Friday.
In a first, the civic body is also set to conduct a comprehensive dog census through the microchipping drive. The exercise will record key details such as age, sex, colour, location (area and ward), vaccination status, and the NGO responsible for immunisation, they added.
An official told PTI that the exercise will begin within two months from the completion of the tendering process. “Once the proposal receives the commissioner’s approval, tenders will be floated to onboard an agency to carry out the exercise across all wards.” Officials further explained that preference will be given an agency with prior experience in animal microchipping and vaccination.
“Each dog will be implanted with a microchip about the size of a grain of rice, injected at the back of the neck. The ISO-certified chips, costing Rs 200-250 each, will carry a unique 15-digit identification number,” the official said.
He said given the scale of the exercise, at least 35 teams, each consisting of four members, will be required to cover all 250 wards. Each team must be equipped with a vehicle fitted with essential infrastructure such as vaccine storage units and scanners.
The civic body is inclined to appoint a single agency for the project to ensure accountability.
“Since stray dogs are free-ranging, fixing responsibility in dog bite cases becomes difficult. Having one agency will make monitoring and accountability more effective,” the official said.
The civic body aims to complete microchipping of all adult stray dogs this year, while puppies below three months will be covered in the next phase, he said.
While MCD estimates the stray dog population at around eight lakh, officials said the actual number could be higher.
“Data collected during the drive will be uploaded onto a digital portal, which will maintain all the records of newborns, puppies, and adult dogs, along with their vaccination and sterilisation status,” officials said.
To strengthen response mechanisms, scanners will also be provided to all 13 functional Animal Birth Control (ABC) centres. These devices will help retrieve a dog’s details in cases of bites or attacks, he added.
According to official data, 52,867 dog bite cases were reported between April and December 2025.
Zones such as Shahdara North, East, and Narela have a high concentration of stray dogs, officials said, adding that over 70 per cent of these dogs have already been sterilised, as per data available till July last year.
The civic body said the vaccination drive will continue annually for the next three years to ensure sustained immunity.
“This year, we will begin microchipping along with vaccination, followed by annual booster doses to build antibody levels in the dog population,” the official said.
An allocation of Rs 20 crore has been earmarked for the microchipping and vaccination programme this year, officials added. PTI MSJ MDO ARB
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