Week after inauguration, dog sterilisation drive fails to start

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, March 26

A dog sterilisation drive, which was inaugurated a week ago with tall claims to control the stray canine population in the city, is yet to start. Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora and officials of the Municipal Corporation (MC) had conducted only a photo session on March 18 to show that dog sterilisation had started.

The building of the operation centre and cells to keep dogs after sterilisation are still incomplete. There is no water or sewerage connection in the building.

Officials of the MC inaugurated the project in a hurry and the NGO, which was hired for sterilisation, failed to operate on any dog after inauguration of the project.

The MC had initiated the stray dog sterilisation project in collaboration with the NGO Endangered Wildlife Society on March 18. Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora, MC Joint Commissioner Sorabh Arora and municipal health officer Kanwar Ajay Singh had inaugurated the drive the Hathi Gate veterinary hospital.

The MC had provided a building to the NGO at Bakar Mandi. The building was once used for dog sterilisation a few years ago, but the project had failed. However, the MC renovated and whitewashed the building, but some work is still to be completed.

Municipal health officer Kanwar Ajay Singh said, “The MC is laying sewerage for the building. It will take some time. The project will start after the work is complete.”

Meanwhile, residents have condemned the delay as cases of dog bite are on the rise. “If the building was not ready, then why did the MC inaugurate the project? The Mayor should have started the sterilisation drive immediately. It is a long-pending demand of residents as stray canine bite cases have become a routine affair in the city,” said a resident.