India’s First Net Zero Animal Shelter Inaugurated in Gurugram

Gurugram, August 24, 2026: A two-acre animal shelter for 500 rescued dogs has been inaugurated in Gurugram as what the organisations describe as India’s first Net Zero animal welfare facility. The facility was inaugurated by Smt. Meenakshi Lekhi, former Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture, Government of India, following an energy design intervention by Bootes Infrastructure Ltd.

The shelter is operated by the Wagging Tales Foundation. Bootes Infrastructure Ltd. provided the energy design, combining an acre of solar generation with measures to reduce the building’s heat load. The facility has also extended cooling and lighting to areas including the operation theatre, treatment area, section housing paralysed and immobile dogs, and the administrative block.

At the inauguration, Smt. Meenakshi Lekhi said, “Kindness and compassion are what make the world go round. Indian culture has always held both the animal and the environment in respect — they are not separate obligations for us, they are one. This Net Zero shelter brings together seva and Indian engineering. It stands with the Prime Minister's vision of a Net Zero India, and it shows that the commitment can begin with the most voiceless among us. My congratulations to the entire team.”

Ms. Malvika, who heads the shelter, said the facility has helped reduce its electricity costs, allowing more resources to be directed towards animal care. “Our electricity bill has come down substantially, and for a shelter running on donations that money goes straight back into food, medicines and treatment,” she said. “But the pride is the bigger thing. Our shelter is now supporting the environment as well as the animals in it — seva and the best engineering solution, together in one place.”

The energy interventions are particularly intended to support animals that are unable to move away from heat. The organisations said the temperature-controlled areas will provide relief to paralysed and immobile dogs during the Delhi-NCR summer.

“An animal that cannot walk cannot walk into the shade,” said Mr. Deepak Rai, Founder and Managing Director of Bootes Infrastructure Ltd. “That is the whole argument for cooling a shelter. We have built net zero libraries and museums for the public; this is the first time we have built one for animals, and it may be the one we are most glad to have done.”

The facility is intended to serve as a model that other animal shelters in India can study and adapt. Bootes Infrastructure Ltd has previously delivered the world’s first Net Zero library at Jhansi, along with the Pradhan Mantri Sangrahalaya and Gandhi Smriti in New Delhi, and holds IFC-EDGE Advanced certification from the World Bank Group.