After getting ‘bitten’ several times over the stray dog menace in the city, Mayor Saidai Duraisamy on Wednesday lashed out at the Blue Cross, accusing the animal welfare organisation of having a lackadaisical approach in the issue.

Duraisamy alleged that complaints were pouring in over the Blue Cross’s apathy to complaints made by individuals. 

“Whenever an individual complains of stray dog menace in their locality, the organisation says it does not have sufficient facilities to catch them. But it has 13 ambulances. When government officials or mediapersons bring up a similar problem, it takes action,” Duraisamy said during the Corporation Council meeting.

The Mayor also accused the Blue Cross of aggravating the stray dog problem. “The Blue Cross does not sterilise dogs properly and many dogs get infected after the procedure. When these infected dogs are left on the streets, they turn problematic. When the Corporation made an effort to control the stray dog menace, members of the Blue Cross complained to animal welfare activist Maneka Gandhi,” he said.

He also claimed that the organisation had no proper statistics on its sterilisation programme.

The Mayor said, “Blue Cross sterilising dogs from 1996. They have been provided necessary facilities by the government. The Animal Welfare Board pays Blue Cross Rs 445 per dog for every sterilisation procedure. On top of that, they charge the dog owners too. In 2011, the Blue Cross earned Rs 2.02 crore profit through this means.”