Bhopal(Madhya Pradesh): Bhopal Municipal Corporation’s campaign against the stray dogs has invited ire of animal rights activist and environmentalist Maneka Gandhi. On Wednesday, the former Union minister called up BMC Chairman Kishan Suryavanshi over the issue.
Confirming the same, Suryavanshi while talking to Free Press said, “I received a phone call from Maneka Gandhi over the Bhopal Municipal Corporation's campaign being carried out to check stray dogs’ menace. She suggested against shifting the stray dogs from one place to another as it makes them more ferocious and subsequently leading to increase in dog bite cases.” “I asked her to suggest a better way to handle the dog related problems,” said the municipal chairperson.
Notably, the civic body is carrying out a sterilization campaign to check the increasing stray dog population. The stray dogs are being caught with the help of a net, then taken to the centre for sterilization and thereafter they are released at the same place from where they were picked earlier.
Meanwhile, Suryavanshi said that he has received a complaint alleging that a blacklisted NGO from Hyderabad has been engaged in carrying out dog sterilisation in Bhopal. The municipal chairman said that he is looking into the matter.
Sources in BMC said that around Rs 1.5 crore is being spent by the municipal corporation to control the stray dog menace and their population. There are three dog sterilization centres in Bhopal - in Kolar, Urbalia and Adampur. Adampur dog sterilization centre is yet to be started. Last year, around 8,500 dogs were sterilized in the city.
Despite the sterilization drive, the numbers of stray dogs are yet to see a drop in the city. The packs of dogs could be seen roaming on the streets and near eateries and other public places.
