After 2 yrs, city resumes stray dog sterilisation and census | Bhubaneswar News – Times of India

Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday resumed its stray dog sterilisation programme after two years, as the city’s canine population surged to 80,000. A Hyderabad-based private firm was given the contract to perform around 70 sterilisation operations daily, targeting 2,000 dogs monthly.Alongwith the sterilisation drive, BMC announced plans for a comprehensive street dog census to be conducted by sanitary workers. The survey will gather crucial data on gender distribution of strays and identify puppy populations across Bhubaneswar. Workers will also map areas with high concentrations of street dogs. “The census will help us develop targeted strategies for effective management of the city’s stray dog population,” said BMC additional commissioner Ratnakar Sahu.The dual approach of sterilisation and data collection represents BMC’s renewed efforts to address the growing street dog population, which became a pressing concern during the two-year suspension of the sterilisation programme. The suspension came after civic bodies across Odisha failed to comply with court orders in an animal rights case, followed by complications arising from the Central govt’s modification of sterilisation guidelines, officials said.“The Vets Society for Animal Welfare and Rural Development based in Hyderabad was tasked with sterilising the dogs. We also have some vets who will assist them. Arrangements have been made to sterilise approximately 2,000 stray dogs each month. The plan is to continue this sterilisation process for the next three years. This initiative aims to prevent the over population of stray dogs in the city and reduce dog bites, road accidents, and the spread of rabies by them,” Sahu added.He said as part of this sterilisation effort, there are plans to conduct a census of stray dogs across all 67 wards of Bhubaneswar, with assistance from many volunteers. “We request the city residents to cooperate in this effort to reduce the dog population, prevent road accidents, and protect against the spread of rabies,” he added.The BMC has readied altogether 360 dog kennels for the resumption of surgery of stray dogs. “We have established a new kennel with 120 beds each at Mancheswar and Saheed Nagar. As per the standard practice, one vet can operate on up to 20 dogs in a day,” said a BMC officer.“We welcome the resumption of dog sterilisation. For more than 18 months, the local bodies have not operated on the dogs,” said Jivan Ballav Das, secretary of People For Animals, an NGO working for the welfare of stray dogs.