Delhi’s MC D Told to Open Up on Stray‑Dog Data After CIC’s ‘Deliberate Resistance’ Finding

When an NGO pressed Delhi’s Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for details about stray‑dog management, the reply was anything but straightforward. Instead of a tidy file, officials sent vague excuses, stalled replies and, according to the Central Information Commission (CIC), acted with what the commission called ‘deliberate resistance.’

The CIC’s order, delivered on Thursday, is a clear slap on the wrist for the municipal body. It obliges MCD to make public the complete register of stray dogs – their numbers, locations and health‑check records – as well as a transparent ledger of every rupee paid to NGOs that claim to be handling the dogs.

Why does this matter? For years, Delhi has wrestled with a growing stray‑dog population and the associated public‑health concerns. NGOs have been recruited to run shelters, carry out sterilisation drives and conduct adoption campaigns, but the financial trails of those contracts have remained murky. Activists argue that without full disclosure, it’s impossible to assess whether public money is being used wisely or whether the promised work is actually getting done.

The commission’s verdict didn’t come out of the blue. The RTI applicant, a citizen‑rights group, had filed several requests over the past year, only to be met with incomplete answers and, at times, outright silence. “We felt the department was intentionally dragging its feet,” one of the group’s members told reporters. “The CIC’s finding validates our suspicion that the information was being hidden.”

In response, an MCD spokesperson said the corporation is “working to compile the requested data” and will comply within the stipulated timeline. Still, the tone was cautious, hinting at bureaucratic hurdles that often slow down such disclosures. “We are gathering information from multiple departments and NGOs, which takes time,” the official added.

For Delhi’s residents, the decision could be a step toward greater accountability. Knowing exactly how many stray dogs roam the streets and how much money flows to NGOs could spark better policies, tighter oversight, and perhaps a more humane solution for the animals and the city alike.