Stray dogs multiply as TMC stops sterilisation

Thane For the past one year, Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has not allocated any budget for stray dog sterilisation.

Thane For the past one year, Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has not allocated any budget for stray dog sterilisation.

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Although in August 2019 a proposal was tabled in the general body meeting, it was not passed because of opposition.

The issue was again taken up in the general body meeting on Thursday.

Shiv Sena corporator Eknath Bhoir alleged that despite the termination of contract, the contractor was being paid.

“Despite terminating the contract, TMC continues to pay the contractor. As there has been a stay in the sterilisation process, stray dogs in the city have increased. We demand reintroducing sterilisation of stray dogs,” said Eknath Bhoir, Shiv Sena corporator.

An official from the health department said that they have stopped paying the contractor.

“We have terminated the contract and have ensured that payments have stopped. In 2016, a proposal for sterilisation of stays was approved in the standing committee. The contract was for three years and expired in 2018. Due to technical reasons, funds could not be allotted for the sterilisation process hence the delay,” said the TMC official from the health department.

TMC’s health department said that since 2004, they have completed surgery on more than 58,000 stray dogs. It spent more than ₹8 crore on sterilisation of dogs since 2004.

In August when another proposal for Rs1.5 crore was tabled for approval, corporators objected to it.

Animal lovers usually get in touch with NGOs due to the increasing number of stray dogs in the city.

As per TMC, 6,080 dog bites have been registered from April to October. Also, there has been a rise in the number of dog bites in 2018-19 by more than 2,000 compared to 2017-18. The authorities said the increase is because the population of strays have gone up as no sterilisation is being done since last year.

“Stray dogs have multiplied in the city. Stalling sterilisation means a rapid increase in population of dogs. Vaccinating a dog costs around ₹100 and sterilization is more than Rs4,000. We cannot afford such a huge expense,” said Sunish Subramanian, founder, Plant and Animal Welfare Society.

The civic hospital sees at least three dog bite cases a day. Those from Thane and Bhiwandi, Diva, Kalwa and the adjoining areas go to Thane civil hospital for treatment.

Thane civil hospital is the only place where first-aid and vaccination is available for 24 hours. “We ensure medication is administered as soon as possible. It is important to keep patients under observation for at least four hours, but we ensure that they are kept under observation for 24 hours before discharge. This is done to ensure those bitten by dogs recover fast,” said Kailash Pawar, civic surgeon, Thane civil hospital.