India, April 23 -- The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC's) Standing Committee on Wednesday cleared a Rs.23.31-crore plan to sterilise 33,671 stray dogs over the next three years, as part of its ongoing Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme.

According to civic data tabled with the proposal, over 1.53 lakh stray dogs have been sterilised across Mumbai since 2017. Officials said the fresh allocation aims to sustain population control efforts and reduce human-animal conflict in the city.

The decision, however, triggered a sharp debate among corporators, who raised concerns over data reliability and implementation gaps.

MNS corporator Yashwant Killedar questioned the methodology used to arrive at sterilisation figures. He also flagg...