Singh asserted that it was necessary to curb the growing problem of dog-bites. ‘‘The city has a population of over three lakh stray dogs. While last year 30,000 dog-bite cases reported, this year there have already been nearly 62,000 cases reported, disclosed Singh, adding that many people are getting increasingly scared of stray dogs.

The Mayor-in-Council (MiC) had taken the decision on the proposal recently though the killings would begin on August 10, 1998. Mayor Nandu Satam had not announced the decision anticipating opposition from animal rights activists.

However, angry members of various animal rights organisations were already waiting outside Satam's chamber in a bid to meet him. ‘‘How does one distinguish between a healthy and an unhealthy dog? They are trying to usethis as a ploy to do away with substantial part of the dog population, said Satnam Ahuja of Ahimsa.

‘‘All they have been doing is to criticise our sterilisaton drive as a failure. Do they apply the same yardstick to the population control programme? she asked. Ahuja said that the animal rights organisations were doing the BMC's job. ‘‘Here is a case of duality. While the state governments Animal Welfare Board is sympathetic to the issue, the BMC is antipathetic, she added.

Her sentiments were echoed by Jigeesha Thakore of All India Animal Welfare Association and another activist Atul Shah who said that the BMC has no ‘good intentions but were all out to wipe out the population of stray dogs.

Until 1994, BMC picked up stray dogs and electrocuted them. Due to the severe opposition by animal lovers led by Maneka Gandhi and a subsequent appeal to the Bombay High Court resulted in a ruling against electrocution of dogs.

Animal rights activists took up the daunting task of sterilising the stray dogs withfinancial assistance from the AIAWA as well as the BMC. Statistics show that while the corporation was killing some 60,000 dogs per year the activists were able to sterilise barely 5,000 dogs annually.

With the growing canine population and increasing cases of dog-bites the BMC declared the activists initiative a ‘failure. Even a meeting called a couple of months before by Singh to solve the problem resulted in a slanging match between civic authorities and the activists leading to a deadlock.

Singh who claims to be a dog-lover himself had mooted the option of transporting all the stray dogs to a huge pound at Deonar where they would be sterilised and cared for. Activists were opposed to the idea and said that the dogs had territorial consciousness and would return back. Now they have a tough battle on hand.