BMC to review sterilisation policy for strays

Increasing its efforts to sustain its sterilisation programme for stray dogs, the municipal corporation plans to set up a study group to review the programme and suggest corrective measures.

Increasing its efforts to sustain its sterilisation programme for stray dogs, the municipal corporation plans to set up a study group to review the programme and suggest corrective measures.

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This plan came after corporators in the civic standing committee raised concerns about the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) paying NGOs to sterilise stray dogs, but not checking on them.

One of the organisations, the Animal Welfare Society, claims to have sterilised 45,496 stray dogs between November 2007 and December 2010.

Some are even against the programme.

“Sterilisation of dogs is not a long-term alternative. If we keep sterilising so many dogs without any checks, there might be a day when there will be no strays in the city,” said Yogesh Sagar, BJP corporator.

That’s why the BMC wants to form the study committee to review the sterilisation policy.

"The committee will review our programme and see whether enough has been done. They will also check if we need to reestablish our sterilisation technique for male and female dogs,” said Gourish Ambe, civic executive health officer.

Additional municipal commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar said the committee would discuss and deliberate on how to control the number of stray dogs.

“Based on the committee's recommendations, we will form future policies on sterilisation and immunisation of strays,” she added.

According to the BMC’s stray dog census conducted in 2007, there are around 75,000 stray dogs in Mumbai.
Ambe said: “The committee will also look into whether we the techniques adopted by the 2007 census were accurate. If not, we will look into the need for another census soon.”