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