Dog sterilisation in Thane to resume after one-year break - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Dog sterilisation in Thane to resume after one-year break

By, Thane
Aug 16, 2019 12:48 AM IST

The process of dog sterilisation, which was halted for over one year owing to lack of funds and other technical reasons, as per the health department of Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), will soon resume.

HT Image
HT Image

The department has proposed to appoint a new agency to carry out the sterilisation work, the budget for which is more than 1.5crore.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

The decrease in sterilisation has also led to increase in the number of stray litters across the city, claimed residents.

As monsoon is especially a breeding season for strays, with no sterilisation, the number of stray dogs is slated to increase further.

An official from the health department said, “We have sterilised 58,537 strays since 2004 by spending 8 crore.”

The standing committee had appointed an agency in December 2016 for sterilisation of dogs for three years.

“The tenure of this agency ended on August 2018. Due to some technical reasons we did not get funds to renew the contract or hire a new agency. Thus the work of sterilisation has stopped since August last year,” he said.

The corporation now plans to restart the process.

The official said, “We have tabled a proposal before the general body to approve a budget of 1.55 crore to hire an agency to carry out the process. The agency will be given three years tenure. They are supposed to sterilise 250 to 300 dogs a month.”

The corporation does not have an exact count of strays.

While the corporation had proposed to undertake a scientific survey of dogs in the city, the project did not see the light of the day.

The official added, “The population of the city is 26 lakh and as per the WHO standard, 3% of this population is of stray dogs. Accordingly, the population of stray dogs in the city is approximately 78,000. Though since the sterilisation is stopped for a year, we cannot predict how many dogs have increased in one year.”

Residents said some localities have a lot of strays.

Sheetal Hardikar, 40, a resident of Patlipada, said, “There are lot of stray dogs in our locality. The number of the strays seems to be always increasing rather than decreasing. No sterilisation is ever carried out on these dogs. We constantly fear the safety of our children who walk to school daily.”

Unlock a world of Benefits with HT! From insightful newsletters to real-time news alerts and a personalized news feed – it's all here, just a click away!- Login Now!

Get latest Updates of All City News along with Delhi News, Bengaluru News, Mumbai News and Top Headlines from India
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    author-default-90x90

    I am a special correspondent with Hindustan Times and also the chief of bureau for Thane. I have worked in Thane for over a decade, covering social, civic, infrastructural, political and cultural issues.

SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On