The Jharkhand government has drawn up a comprehensive action plan to curb the growing stray dog problem across the state and has released a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to guide its implementation.
Under the plan, urban local bodies have been instructed to sterilise and vaccinate at least 70 percent of stray dogs within their jurisdiction. The SOP also makes it mandatory for pet owners to register their dogs with urban municipal bodies or panchayati raj institutions. The move comes amid alarming data on dog-bite incidents.
In Ranchi alone, 4,715 people received anti-rabies injections at Sadar Hospital in 2023. By 2025, this number surged to 7,503, highlighting the urgency of the issue. As part of the action plan, stray dogs will undergo sterilisation and anti-rabies vaccination, after which they will be identified with special collars.
Dedicated feeding zones for stray dogs will also be created. The Health Department will ensure the availability of anti-rabies vaccines and rabies immunoglobulin across the state.
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The SOP specifies that the cost of treatment in the event of a bite by a pet dog must be borne entirely by its owner, who will also be responsible for any legal liabilities arising from the incident.
Implementation will take place in three phases over the next 30 days. These phases include the formation of a nodal coordination committee, an audit of Anti-Breeding and Vaccination (ABC) infrastructure, and the launch of an intensive ABC campaign. According to district-wise estimates, Giridih has the highest population of stray dogs at 36,764, followed by Hazaribagh (24,451), Ranchi (23,885), Palamu (23,727), and Deoghar (23,582).
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