The Times of India    25.08.2012

NMC seeks manpower to manage stray animals

NASHIK: The civic body has invited tenders for impounding stray animals and transporting them to the NMC’s kondwada (animal pound) which was constructed to house the city’s strays.A fortnight ago, corporators of prabhag 26 in Bhadrakali, Sufi Jin ( NCP)
and Sameena Memon (Congress) had visited the area alongwith municipal
commissioner Sanjay Khandare over the issue. The commissioner assured
the corporators that he would look into the matter.”In the
Bhadrakali kondwada, a family has now made its home. The place was
constructed for stray animals but is now lying abandoned.

while citizens
face problems due to stray animals blocking busy streets. Ganjamal road
is always full of strays. There is also a danger of the animals may
being hit by vehicles,” said Jin. “Our attempt is to make the kondwada
functional and consequently make things easy for people and the animals
as well,” Jin added.NMC
standing committee chairman Uddhav Nimse, had said that the NMC does
not have the manpower or machinery to transport the animals. “Moreover,
the responsibility does not end at just transporting stray animals, we
have to also feed them,” he said. On further probing Nimse added that no
budgetary provision had been made for this.A senior engineer
at the civic body’s public works department said that the kondawada was
constructed by the municipal council and was operational till the early
1990s.

The anti-encroachment departmentcaught and transported the
animals while the divisional offices took care of the captured strays.
An official said that due to lack of manpower, this exercise was
stopped.The official said that after appointing the contractor
once the bid process is complete the next step of feeding the animals
would also be sorted out.