House rejects PFA proposal on stray dogs

Municipal corporation (MC), Panchkula, on Thursday rejected the proposal fronted by Payal Sodhi from ‘People For Animals’ on stray dog menace.

Municipal corporation (MC), Panchkula, on Thursday rejected the proposal fronted by Payal Sodhi from ‘People For Animals’ on stray dog menace.

Sodhi had given a proposal to MC that their organisation would catch stray dogs and carry out their sterilisation at `470 per dog. But she wanted that she should be allowed to conduct ‘My Friend’ programme at community centres and had sought the MC to make the arrangements.

Councillor Lily Bawa opposed the proposal and said, “When we have a pet hospital, why don’t we carry out these sterilisation programmes there?”

Councillor CB Goel said that the contractors left as MC didn’t pay them on time.

As the house rejected the proposal, commissioner SP Arora said that a new tender would be floated. Earlier too, three tenders have been rejected. The sterilisation programme of the MC has always remained a non-starter.

VILLAGES VS CITY

A debate of villages versus city ensued in the house when a proposal of spending share of villages in stamp duty in their areas came up for discussion. There was `11 crore which was with the villages before they joined the MC.

The house agreed that this amount should be spent for these villages only. But councillor CB Goel raised the point that whether it could be possible that earnings from the city should be spent for city purposes only.

Councillor Salim Khan, whose ward comprises of villages only, said, “Then why should we spend on roads in cities. You divide the amount of budget equally among 20 wards.”

Arora then intervened and said, “The villages have equal right of development. We are talking about their own money.” Finally the house allowed the proposal.