The BMC’s decision to finalise permanent dog shelters in Mulund and Mahul has sparked opposition from Dharavi residents and Mulund locals, with the proposed Mulund facility – just 400 metres from land earmarked for Dharavi rehabilitation project (DRP) – emerging as the flashpoint.
While the civic body says the shelters are part of compliance with a Supreme Court (SC) directive on relocating stray dogs from sensitive public spaces, residents argue the issue is one of poor planning and Mulund being made to absorb one contentious project after another.
For Dharavi locals resisting relocation outside Mumbai, the shelter has become another symbol of rehabilitation being pushed without consultation.
“People from Dharavi are being pushed out in the name of development, and now they want a dog shelter next to human settlements. Are we being taken for granted?” said resident Deepak Khandare.
Ulesh Gajakosh, another Dharavi resident, also criticised the plan. “Even if the Dharavi locals’ rehabilitation happens in Mulund, how can authorities think of locating a dog shelter a few metres away from where people may be resettled?” he said.
Mulund pushback
In Mulund, residents say the shelter is the latest in a string of imposed projects – from Project Affected Persons (PAP) housing and Dharavi rehabilitation to the proposed kabutarkhana.
“First PAP housing, then Dharavi rehabilitation, then the kabutarkhana, and now a shelter for 10,000 stray dogs,” said resident Sagar Devere. “Everything is being pushed into Mulund.”
Gangadhar Tulsankar said the scale of the facility had alarmed locals. “A shelter for 10,000 dogs adjoining residential areas will give us sleepless nights,” he said.
Residents also argue that Mulund, long associated with difficult civic infrastructure, is again being treated as a dumping ground for projects resisted elsewhere.
What BMC plans
The Mulund shelter is planned on a 3,000 sq m plot near Mithagar Road, where 422 sq m already houses a dog sterilisation centre. The BMC has proposed changing the land reservation from solid waste management use to a permanent dog shelter.
In Mahul, an 8,411.50 sq m hospital-reserved plot is proposed to be redesignated for an animal hospital and shelter. The proposal is expected to come up for discussion on Friday.
Civic sources said the Mulund facility could house up to 10,000 stray dogs, in line with the SC directive.
For protesters, however, the question is why such a facility should sit beside a proposed rehabilitation cluster. That has turned a municipal shelter proposal into a larger Dharavi redevelopment flashpoint, uniting two groups of residents.