The Times of India              30.01.2014 

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation to revise dog sterilization rates

AHMEDABAD: This could be seen as any respite for Amdavadis against the rising stray dog menace in the city. In a desperate move, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has sought a rate revision for its dog sterilization process. The current rate - Rs 445 per dog that AMC today pays NGOs - one of the lowest in the country. Despite these hindrances, AMC in its latest proposal before the standing committee has sought to increase dog sterilization from 120 to 500 dogs a day.

Between May and October last year, the NGOs have claimed to have sterilized 12,770 dogs and AMC has already paid them Rs 56.80 lakh.

The low rates actually hit the overall dog sterilization drive and in the process led AMC recently to cast doubts on figures the NGOs revealed to the civic body. Of the four NGOs that started off a year ago, two have left the city blaming increasing costs. Interestingly, in 2007 AMC used to pay a single agency Rs 550 per dog, which is much more than the 2013 rates. In the latest proposal, AMC has proposed a rate of Rs 650 per dog before the standing committee. After October two NGOs opted out of the drive while one NGO was blacklisted.

A document placed before the standing committee claims that Animal Health Foundation (AHF) had sterilized 4,027 dogs, People for Animal (PAF) 3,233 dogs, while Animal Rights Fund sterilized 5,510 dogs.

"The NGOs demanded a rate of Rs 730 per dog which was simply not acceptable, as we were providing vehicles and locations. Also in the revised plan we plan to set up a surgical hospital for NGOs with all equipments and scope for induction of more veterinary surgeons for sterilization operations," says a senior AMC official.