Why regulator asked Gurugram civic body to cancel NGO’s dog sterilisation contracts

Poor hygiene and infrastructure, tick-infested dogs, unverified veterinary and dog-catching staff, missing operational records and overall non-compliance with the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023: these were among the red flags raised as the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) recently wrote to the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) over a stray dog sterilisation and immunisation contract awarded to a Madhya Pradesh-based nonprofit.  The Jabalpur-based NGO,Maa Baglamukhi Sewa Samiti, lacked the mandatory project recognition required to operate in Gurugram, The Indian Express has learnt.

The statutory board rejected the NGO’s applications for two of its Gurugram centres over non-compliance and on October 5 asked the MCG to immediately cancel its contracts. This is what the board submitted as part of its filings on October 8 before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The submissions were placed on record in a counter-affidavit filed by AWBI Secretary Dr Maheshbhai K Chauhan in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) moved by Gurugram-based NGO Kaali Welfare Foundation through its founder-director Chetna Joshi.

The petition sought the quashing of work orders issued by the MCG on November 28, 2025, awarding two-year ABC contracts to Maa Baglamukhi Sewa Samiti, contending that the agency did not possess the mandatory project recognition certificate (PRC) for the city.

When contacted, the Jabalpur-based NGO’s vice-president Pankaj Shukla told The Indian Express on Saturday: “We had received all due clearances and approval from the State Animal Husbandry department earlier, which had found our facilities satisfactory and recommended that we get the project recognition. Now, the AWBI found some photos missing in our application, as per format, and rejected our case. If they had some issues, they should have told us first and let us apply accordingly instead of wronging us like this. We are in touch with them and the civic body officials, who earlier this week have given us 4-5 days to sort things out.”

MCG Joint Commissioner Preetpal Singh said that the civic body has issued a notice to the agency. “We have to follow a process before any decision of further action or cancellation. Once they reply, we will decide and act as needed per procedure.”

The contention on eligibility

In its affidavit, the AWBI clarified that Maa Bagulamukhi Sewa Samiti is a recognised animal welfare organisation that was granted ABC Project Recognition on February 23, 2024. However, that approval pertained strictly to its centre at Kathonda Gram within the jurisdiction of the Jabalpur Municipal Corporation in Madhya Pradesh.

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The Board stated that existing recognition for Jabalpur cannot be treated as project recognition for operating ABC centres in Gurugram.

It emphasised that under the ABC Rules, the mere submission or pendency of an application does not amount to such a nod, which is only valid upon the completion of inspections and issuance of a formal certificate.

Earlier, in an affidavit dated September 29, MCG Commissioner Pradeep Dahiya had defended the allotment of work before the High Court, stating that the NGO held a valid general AWBI registration when submitting its bid and had applied for project recognition well within the six-month window permitted under Rule 5 of the ABC Rules.

The MCG also relied on a June 2026 inspection by a state committee, forwarded by the Haryana Animal Husbandry and Dairying Department on July 2, which had found the NGO’s facilities satisfactory and recommended them for recognition.

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Inadequacies flagged

According to the AWBI affidavit, the NGO submitted separate applications in 2026 seeking project recognition for two Gurugram facilities — one at Baliyawas village on January 27, and another near a dairy at Sector 90 on March 25.

When the Baliyawas centre application and the Haryana government’s initial inspection report were placed before the AWBI’s ABC Project Recognition Committee on July 14, the committee deferred approval.

It noted that photographs of the operation theatre (OT) and kennels were unclear, directed verification of pending complaints against the agency, and ordered a fresh inspection by a three-member central team comprising AWBI Secretary Dr Chauhan, AWBI Member Anjali Gopalan, and Senior Veterinary Consultant Dr Ravindra Sharma.

Following a joint re-inspection of the Baliyawas facility on August 1, the committee met on September 9 and rejected the application, listing 16 alleged major deficiencies including unverified and under-qualified manpower, missing records and vehicles, kennels being rusted, emergency medicines absent from the OT, inadequate pain-management protocols as well as water supply and drainage facilities, and two stray dogs being heavily infested with ticks.

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The same day, the committee also rejected the NGO’s application for its Sector 90 shelter after reviewing the state department’s inspection material.

The committee observed that surgical instruments at the Sector 90 facility appeared rusted and unsuitable, water was unavailable in the operation theatre, overall hygiene and sanitation were lacking, and clear colour photographs of the OT, refrigerator, and dog-catching van had not been furnished.