Bhopal: Animal Birth Control Centre Accused Of Keeping Dogs Captive For Over A Month

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Stray dogs picked up by Bhopal Municipal Corporation’s dog squad are reportedly being held at the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Arvalia Centre for nearly a month instead of being released within the mandated five days. Records also suggest manipulation, with same dogs listed as being “caught” more than once.

A recent case highlights the issue. A stray dog captured from Premier Archate Colony on August 22 was only released on Wednesday, nearly a month later.

Mahesh Makwana, former councillor, first noticed the dog missing from his colony and traced it to the Arvalia centre. Staff initially assured him the animal would be released after sterilisation. But when he returned 13 days later, the dog was still in a cage with a label stating it had been “caught” again on September 5 from the same colony.

Makwana accused the centre of manipulating records to meet sterilisation targets. “According to rules, sterilised dogs must be released within three to five days. This dog has been kept for over a month. Records are missing, doctors stay absent for days, and the organisation doesn’t even have a valid licence,” he said and added that complaints would be made to the Commissioner, minister and Chief Minister.

The Arvalia, Adampur Cantonment and Thuakheda centres are run by different organisations, with Arvalia and Thuakheda managed by Care of Animals and Society. Each centre has the capacity to house around 300 dogs, though currently only 150–200 are kept in each.

Dog squad to blame

Dr. Saurav Singh, in-charge of Arvalia ABC centre, said the delay was due to dog squad’s failure to pick up the animal. “The dog was brought by vehicle MP-04-6423 and must be returned in the same vehicle. We have repeatedly requested them to take it back, but they haven’t,” he said. He said that while dogs are generally released within 3–5 days, some need extra recovery time and are held up to a week.