Mumbai: Some of the BMC-run city hospitals are infested with stray cats of all sizes who not only look totally out of place in these hospitals but also cause hygiene and sanitation issues. In a bid to control the situation, BMC was planning to sterlise these cats so that their number does not multiply with time.
But the initiative seems to have hit a roadblock in the face of general elections in the country. Though sterlisation of these cats would not have caused a breach of model code of conduct, the much-needed initiative to control the population of these felines cannot be undertaken until the elections are over as a majority of the BMC officials are tied up with poll duties, leaving them with little time to think about the presence of cats in hospitals or their sterlisation.
The BMC has postponed the sterilisation of cats due to the on-going general elections in the country. “We were supposed to start the sterilisation of cats from April 1 to stop the reproduction in the hospitals. But due to the model code of conduct for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the work has been put on hold,” said a health official.
The idea of sterilising the cats came after the civic-run hospitals were found overcrowded with cats and were found to be sharing a bed or eating patients’ food. A senior health official said the department was planning to sterilise the cats for which the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) had also provided them with the rate card.
“The agency had provided different rates for sterilising male and female cats. For female, they would have charged Rs 600 while for male cats, it was Rs 800,” he added.An official who handled the project said the department had received several complaints from people about overpopulation of cats. This made them decide to sterilise the cats.
“It is important to sterilise the cats as they breed twice a year and at a time they give birth to two to three kittens. But Lok Sabha elections have become the problem in performing the sterilisation as most of the officers who are involved in this project are on election duty,” said official. “It will be a violation of the model code of conduct if the BMC approved the final paper of sterilisation,” he added.
Dr Padmaja Keskar, the executive health official, BMC, said in June 2018 the department had sought a permission from AWBI to include stray cats in the sterilisation programme so that it can control overpopulation of cats in the hospitals across the city. “Presently, NGOs sterilise cats in the city but according to the new proposal, we would provide land and pay the bills for the sterilisation. The total cost of the project is around Rs 1 crore,” said Dr Keskar.
