Birth control programme for stray dogs in Thane is not being executed
17 Dec, 2013
An application was filed with the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) under the Right to Information (RTI) Act seeking to get the details of the birth control programme for stray dogs being undertaken by the corporation.
The reply from the TMC stated that the sterilization contract was given to a private firm and that the veterinarian team had sterilized over 1,450 dogs within first four months of 2013. However, since April, 2013 no sterilization has taken place.
The applicant stated that the motive of his application was to ensure the safety of the citizens, especially children. He said that the city has nearly 45,000 stray dogs and one street dog for around every 33 citizens. The applicant claimed that there were around 11,000 cases of dog bites in 2012-13, of which 2,668 cases were from Thane city, 1,433 from Dahanu and 1,299 from Palghar. He also claimed that after the sterilization drive was suspended, as many as 608 cases of dog bites were reported in the city within one month.
Corporation officials from the health department have said that the birth control programme of canines will soon be resumed. Incidents of bites by stray dogs are quite common all over the country and it is not known whether any programme is being conducted in this regard at the national level.