The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is preparing to designate fixed feeding points for stray dogs across the city, following the recent Supreme Court ruling on the issue and the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023.The Supreme Court last week prohibited the feeding of stray dogs in the streets and in public places, and directed civic authorities to create dedicated feeding spaces for strays in each municipal ward.Dr Sarika Funde, Chief Veterinary Officer, PMC, said that a committee comprising PMC officials, the police, members of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), housing society representatives, and dog feeders has been formed to identify suitable locations.“We want to bring all volunteers onto one platform. Work has already begun on a format where feeders can register the number of dogs, timings, and locations of feeding to ensure everything is proper. Cleanliness and hygiene at feeding points will be strictly maintained,” Dr Funde told The Indian Express.PMC aims to roll out the initiative by the end of September, after consultations with volunteers, many of whom are already working with organisations like Shashwat Foundation, among others.Dr Funde clarified that the cost of setting up feeding points will not require a major budget allocation and can be managed through existing resources.Dog feeders in Pune have welcomed the move but stressed the need for transparency. “Every location has its own volunteers. Instead of picking up dogs randomly for sterilisation, if PMC can coordinate with one local representative, it will help keep track of which dogs are picked, sterilised, and dropped back,” Tina Malkani of Karmanye Foundation, who feeds nearly 300 dogs in Kharadi, said.Story continues below this adShe also pointed out that dogs are territorial, and therefore multiple feeding points will be needed within a locality to avoid conflict among packs. “If packs are forced to mix at one spot, there will be fights, and then people will call the dogs aggressive. Proper distribution of feeding spots is essential,” she clarified.Dr Ankita Chandra, a maxillofacial surgeon and dog feeder from Viman Nagar, welcomed the move. “This is a very good decision by the Supreme Court and PMC. Strays should not suffer. But at the same time, the public must be educated about sterilisation, vaccination, and rabies prevention,” said Dr Chandra.While some dog feeders have faced harassment from residents in Delhi and other cities despite court orders, PMC officials have assured that such complaints will be handled strictly as per ABC rules. “Community dogs are allowed to be fed, and both feeders and residents must comply with the law. We will verify complaints thoroughly and ensure proper enforcement,” Dr Funde said.Dr Funde had told The Indian Express a few days ago that Pune has an approximate stray dog count of 1.8 lakh. “We are yet to conduct a census, but with the merger of villages, we anticipate the stray dog population to rise to at least 2.5 lakh,” she added.Story continues below this adIn 2024-2025, as per data from the civic body, 56,537 stray dogs were sterilised and vaccinated; the count was 57,444 in 2023-2024. From April to June this year, 14,297 stray dogs have been sterilised and vaccinated.In light of the ongoing Ganpati festival, the PMC is expected to hold online and offline meetings with dog feeders in the coming weeks before finalising the locations for feeding spots.Aryesh Chakraborty is an intern with The Indian Express.