The Hindu 31.07.2012
HDMC to crack down on pig, dog menace
Action plan to be prepared and executed within a month
Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) Commissioner
Y.S. Patil has said that an action plan to free the city from the menace
of stray pigs and dogs will be executed in a month.
The general body meeting on Monday unanimously passed a resolution empowering the HDMC to take steps to address the problem.
Raising
the issue, Congress members Ganesh Tagaragunti and Deepak Chinchore
criticised officials for “failing” to tackle the menace despite spending
large sums. It was time for the HDMC to decide if human life was more
important than the animals, they said.BJP members Lakshman Savadi and Shivanand Muttannavar supported them.
Legal issues
Mr.
Chinchore pointed out the health concerns arising from the large number
of stray pigs and demanded action against health officer Prabhu Biradar
for dereliction of duty.
Mr. Biradar explained that
the law did not allow them to kill animals, and so, the only option was
to move them outside the city. This had been opposed by residents living
on the outskirts as well as those who depended on the pigs for their
livelihood.
Staff had been threatened while catching
and releasing pigs, he said. Besides, organisations that came forward to
shift the pigs quoted Rs. 800 to Rs. 1,000 per pig to do so.
The
HDMC legal cell too said that the law prohibited the killing of
animals, except when they were diseased. They advised that any action
plan be prepared in consultation with the Advocate-General.
- Officials criticised for failing to address the problem
- Several hurdles in shifting pigs out of the city: health officer