Thane Municipal Corporation’s handling of stray dogs has come under scrutiny after animal-welfare activists alleged that the civic veterinary department does not maintain official records of stray dogs brought for cremation. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Sandeep Pachange has sought a high-level inquiry and action against those responsible from the municipal commissioner.
The issue concerns the animal crematorium at Majiwada, where dead dogs are reportedly brought by the civic body for final rites. According to animal-welfare organisations cited in the report, the registration officer at the crematorium acknowledged that official records of the dogs brought there were not being maintained. The allegation has raised questions about how dogs under the municipal corporation’s control are accounted for after their death.
The absence of a complete record could make it difficult to establish basic details, including when a dog died, where it was collected from, how it was transported and how its remains were disposed of. The report does not establish that any specific dog was unlawfully disposed of, but activists have sought clarity on the procedures followed by the civic veterinary department.
Questions have also been raised about the dog pound at Wagle Estate. Dogs brought there for sterilisation are recorded at the initial stage, but activists say there is no clear information about when the animals are released after surgery, whether they are returned to their original areas or how their deaths, if any, are documented.
Animal-welfare activist Xavier Santiago has claimed that the whereabouts of more than 50 dogs under the municipal corporation’s custody are not known. The report does not provide a separate list of these animals or an independent confirmation of the claim. It also does not state how long the alleged gap in records has continued.
The dispute extends to the role of a private organisation at Kasarvadavali that is associated with animal-welfare officers appointed by the Bombay High Court, according to the report. Objections have been raised over the municipal corporation handing stray dogs to a private organisation and over allegations that some dogs are not returned to their original areas after sterilisation.
For municipal animal-control systems, records are central to tracking a dog from capture and sterilisation through release, treatment or death. In this case, activists are seeking clarity on whether the Thane civic body maintains linked records across the dog pound, veterinary department, private organisations and crematorium. The report, however, does not include a response from the Thane municipal corporation addressing the allegations.
Pachange has asked the municipal commissioner to order a high-level inquiry into the veterinary department’s working methods and determine responsibility. Further action will depend on the civic administration’s response and any inquiry ordered by the commissioner.
