Hoping to make the country's commercial capital 'rabies-free', the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation on Saturday launched a major vaccination drive to cover around 15,000 stray dogs in 6 city wards, an official said.

The drive, in collaboration with the Mumbai Veterinary College and over a dozen NGOs, would include administering the vaccines to these canines and fitting a collar with QR codes on the dogs. 

The QR codes will incorporate details about the dog's vaccination status, the feeders, locality and other relevant data. 

The vaccination started in the eastern suburbs, at S Ward of Bhandup-Kanjurmarg, T Ward of Mulund and western suburbs in P North of Malad, R South of Kandivali, R Central of Borivali and R North in Dahisar. 

On an average, Mumbai reports around 80,000 cases of dog-bites, the highest in Maharashtra, officials said. Later, the civic body is likely to take up the initiative in other parts of the city to vaccinate the stray canine population, estimated at over 1.50 lakh. 

(IANS/SR)