Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], August 23 : The Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC), one of India's oldest civic bodies, has begun fitting stray dogs in the city with GPS-enabled collars carrying QR codes to digitally record their location, vaccination status, and other details, alongside an ongoing anti-rabies vaccination drive.
Speaking to ANI, Mayor Surinder Chauhan said the initiative aims to reduce rabies-related fatalities and improve public safety.
"Our vaccination and sterilisation drives have been going on for some time. Now, to minimise rabies cases where earlier, deaths were often discovered to have been caused by a dog bite only after the fact, we have started anti-rabies vaccination for dogs. So far, 2,000 dogs have been vaccinated. Alongside, we are attaching QR code collars that, when scanned, will reveal the dog's position. Dog lovers and animal welfare groups can also track them. For aggressive dogs, we will attach a red tag so they can be identified and handled separately. We are educating the public, working with social organisations, and starting a massive sterilisation campaign," he said.

"We believe Shimla is the first city in the country to take such an initiative. Organisations from Goa, Mumbai, Maharashtra, Patiala, and Himachal Pradesh's Rampur have joined us. This programme will also produce the first dog census in India, digitising details of each stray. Once the programme concludes, the Chief Minister will formally close it." Chauhan added.
Local resident Pradeep Kumar, however, expressed concern about the growing stray dog menace.
"There is a lot of fear, especially for children. Once a dog bites, it's a matter of life and death due to rabies. In such a beautiful city, it is becoming difficult to walk freely. The idea of collars is good, but the start has not yet happened. There should be a clear count of how many stray dogs are in the city, and this should be published in newspapers so people can be cautious," he said.
He further called for strict accountability. "If any official is negligent, action should be taken. Visitors from all over India come to Shimla and often only realise the danger after they are bitten and end up in a hospital, sometimes when it is already too late," Kumar added.

Shimla MLA Harish Janartha said the city was witnessing a high number of dog bite cases. "Whenever we tried to take action for stray dogs, there were objections from NGOs or the courts. We first began with anti-rabies injections for both male and female dogs, and then sterilisation. In Shimla's 34 wards, there are currently 4,000-4,500 stray dogs. This campaign started on August 15 and will run till August 29, with participation from across India, from Maharashtra, Mumbai, Haryana, Punjab, Goa, and Himachal Pradesh's Rampur and Shimla.
"I congratulate the Municipal Commissioner and his team for turning this into a practical reality. As of today, 2,011 dogs have been vaccinated and fitted with GPS-linked QR code collars. This will help maintain accurate records and identify aggressive dogs. Sterilisation will follow," said Janrtha.
"If this succeeds in Shimla, it should be implemented across all urban local bodies and smaller towns in Himachal. We have also designated feeding zones for dogs; feeding them elsewhere will be considered an offence to avoid creating dangerous concentrations in public areas. Currently, Shimla sees an average of 2-3 dog bite cases per day, sometimes up to four," he added.
The first phase of the campaign, vaccination and marking of stray dogs, is currently underway, with GPS collar installation set to expand in the second stage.