The people of Indore are facing menace due to increase in population of stray dogs. The municipal corporation has been sterilizing these stray dogs for years, but there is no visible effect, according to a PIL filed by Fauzia Sheikh Alim, the leader of opposition in Indore Municipal Corporation, in Madhya Pradesh High Court.
In the last five years, the Municipal Corporation has spent about Rs 21 crore on the sterilization operations of these stray dogs, she stated in her plea.
In the PIL, she alleged that the Pets Society for Animal Welfare and Ruler Development Company has been negligent in its work. Corporation officials have not been able to take concrete action on the contracted private firms and despite the sterilization of dogs during the last 5-7 years, no effect is visible.
According to the petition , the contract has been given to a private firm for the sterilization operation of dogs. The firm has been paid crores of rupees for the same. It added that more than Rs 24 lakh is being paid by the corporation every month and another company Roadis has also been given the responsibility. There are more than one lakh stray dogs in the city and the private firm claims to perform 90-100 operations daily.
It said the number of stray dogs has increased during coronavirus pandemic and people are being bitten by these dogs . About 80 to 100 people fall prey to them every day, claimed the petition.
Further, sterilization operations of these dogs are carried out at GPO and Trenching Ground Centers and 4 to 5 dogs are killed during the operation itself. Since 2015, Rs 925 are being given to the institution with Municipal Corporation spending Rs 21 crore on it so far to no avail.
Alim has demanded that the Municipal Corporations should build buildings on the lines of Gaushalas on government open lands. Just as stray animals were sent to the cowshed from the streets of the city, the same way these stray dogs can be sterilized and released in dog houses.Sshe said many of these dogs suffer from viral infections due to improper vaccination.
In the three veterinary hospitals in the city, people are bringing their dogs for treatment after infection at an alarming rate. Doctors have appealed to people to be cautious regarding viral infections. The city’s GPO, stone godown and government veterinary hospital located on the MOG were witnessing a large turnout of people coming in for treatment of there dogs.
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