BHUBANESWAR: Providing a boost to dog sterilization programme
in Bhubaneswar, the government has decided to procure a ‘mobile
operation theatre van’, which will operate on stray dogs in the streets.
As of now, the dogs are being caught and brought to the veterinary
hospital at Saheed Nagar to undergo sterilization.

Sources said
Nalco has donated Rs 15 lakh to the animal resources development
department for the purchase of the air-conditioned van, fitted with
modern instruments and healthcare facilities for stray animals in
distress.

“We have received the donation from Nalco and placed
the order for purchase of the modern van. The vehicle will not only help
us sterilize dogs anywhere in the streets, but also come to the rescue
of injured stray animals on roads,” said Dr S B Swain, nodal officer of
animal birth control programme at the Saheed Nagar veterinary
polyclinic.

The van can be used by other districts too. “The
van will rush to those areas where dog sterilization clinics are not
available,” Dr Swain said.

The city has witnessed an explosion
in the population of stray dogs over the past few years. Sources said
the population of stray dogs and cattle at present stands at around
22,000 and 9,000, respectively. The city was home to around 15,000 dogs
in 2008. Pedestrians and bikers have been complaining of danger from
dogs at night. Not long ago, chief minister Naveen Patnaik
too expressed irritation at growling stray dogs during an interaction
with the media in the state secretariat here. The dogs kept barking
outside the secretariat, distracting Naveen’s attention.

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation
(BMC) has been providing Rs 10 lakh to the veterinary hospital at
Saheed Nagar ever since the dog sterilization programme started in
Bhubaneswar in 2008. BMC had entrusted some NGOs to carry out the job.
But finding little result, the BMC handed over the responsibility to the
veterinary clinic in June 2008. A little over 8,000 dogs, including
nearly 2,800 female canines, have been sterilized so far, sources said.
Sterilization of each dog costs Rs 500. About 40 dogs are being
sterilized in a week. Dogs between the age group of 6-7 years come under
the sterilization process. A stray dog has a lifespan of around 12
years.

There was a proposal in 2010 to modernize the Saheed
Nagar polyclinic. Though the housing and urban development department
recently released Rs 30 lakh to BMC to purchase new equipment for faster
birth control operations of stray dogs, it is still a non-starter.