The Times of India             20.11.2010

NMC ties up with veterinary college to sterilise stray dogs

NAGPUR: After the failure of its NGO-run sterilisation programme for stray dogs, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has now tied up with the Veterinary College to try and keep the number of stray dogs on the streets under control.

After directions by the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court in 2006, NMC had initiated steps to control the stray dog population through sterilisation. It had claimed that almost 80% of the dogs had been neutered in the last four years. However, there had not been any significant reduction in number of strays on the streets even four years after the sterilisation started.

After TOI reports pointed out that, despite sterilisation, estimates of stray dogs in the city continued to rise, NMC cancelled the contracts of the last two NGOs still working on it in August 2010. The two NGOs – Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and Indian Society for Animal Welfare (ISAW) – had been sterilising strays since 2006. The contracts of YMCA and Royal Veterinarians Society had been cancelled in 2008 after complaints of irregularities and non-performance.

A senior NMC official said on condition of anonymity that the civic body had earlier planned to develop a special shelter for stray dogs and start its own sterilisation centre at Reshimbagh. However, now the civic body has decided to rope in the Nagpur Veterinary College, Seminary Hills, for the next few years. This would ensure that the high court directions are implemented and the animal birth control ( ABC) programme for tackling the stray dog menace continues.

After handing over the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme to the veterinarians of the college, NMC will pay it Rs 445 per dog. Earlier, NMC used to pay Rs 370 for vaccination and Rs 75 for trapping the dog, along with a vehicle, diesel and space, to the NGOs free of cost, the official said.

In charge of NMC veterinary department Dr Milind Ganvir confirmed that Nagpur Veterinary College has accepted the offer. “A MOU will be signed between NMC and the college authorities soon. NMC dog catcher vans will trap stray dogs from across the city and hand them over to the college authorities. The dogs will be released after sterilisation at the same spot from where they were trapped. The stray dogs would be sterilised, given shelter, fed and cared for two-three days at the college premises,” he said.

“The college has huge premises, separate operation theatre and has also assured to follow the rules of Animal Welfare Board, under which it is mandatory to keep male animals under observation for 24 hours after sterilisation and females for 72 hours,” Dr Ganvir said.