Bengaluru’s chicken rice plan for stray dogs put on hold after new civic body setup

The BBMP had drawn up a scheme to provide one meal of chicken rice every morning to around 4,000 stray dogs in the city.

A much-publicised plan to feed stray dogs in Bengaluru has hit a roadblock after the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) was dissolved and replaced by the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA).

The initiative, which had created a lot of buzz for its scale and intent, has now been put on hold. (PTI)

The initiative, which had created a lot of buzz for its scale and intent, has now been put on hold, The New Indian Express reported.

The BBMP had drawn up a scheme to provide one meal of chicken rice every morning to around 4,000 stray dogs in the city, at an estimated cost of ₹2.88 crore annually. However, after the administrative transition, the file was sent to GBA Chief Commissioner M Maheshwar Rao, who clarified that the decision now rests with the five newly formed corporations.

According to the publication, a senior official said that the civic body had identified locations for the initiative and was preparing to float tenders.

Bengaluru’s civic body, the BBMP, had earlier made headlines with its first-of-its-kind initiative to provide nutritious meals to stray dogs across the city. The plan drew praise from animal lovers and also triggered a wave of witty reactions and memes on social media.

According to the tender floated by the civic body, nearly 4,000 stray dogs were to be fed one cooked meal daily at 100 designated feeding points, especially in localities facing food scarcity and lacking regular feeders. Each serving was to include 600 grams of cooked rice with chicken, vegetables, and turmeric, supplying at least 750 kcal per dog, along with clean drinking water.

The scheme was designed not just as an animal welfare measure but also as a public safety step, aiming to curb aggression in hungry street dogs and reduce cases of dog bites across Bengaluru.