GHMC steps up to tackle street dog menace

Civic body gets 16 more dog catching vans on a hire basis

Hyderabad: Life is going to get tough for street dogs in the streets of Hyderabad, with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) intensifying its measures to control the street dog menace by getting 16 more dog catching vans.

Till recently, the municipal corporation was operating its own 14 vehicles for catching street dogs. In addition to these, the municipal corporation has now introduced 16 more vehicles on a hire basis. The total fleet is now 30 strong, with one vehicle being operated exclusively for each municipal circle. Though the vehicles were introduced with an intention to control the street dog menace, the focus is more on the ensuing summer as complaints about the street dogs generally increase during the season, GHMC Chief Veterinary Officer Abdul Vakil said.

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This is mainly due to scarcity of water and non-availability of food during summer. More importantly, the temperatures also go up and due to the scorching heat, the dogs tend to be irritated and at times attack as well, he said.

To avoid any untoward incidents, intensified focus is on controlling the street dog menace. Generally, the dog catching vans and personnel inspect an area and catch hold of the canines. They first check if the dogs have undergone sterilisation surgeries by observing the ‘V’ mark on the ears. If the dogs have undergone birth control surgeries, the personnel administer anti-rabies vaccine and leave them in the same locality as per the rules, he said.

In case the dogs have not undergone surgeries, they are shifted to the nearest Animal Care centre for performing the surgeries, to administer deworming medicines and other health aspects including observation for five days at the centre. They are then released back in the same area from where they were picked up, he added.

Each vehicle usually catches 10 dogs a day and based on their observations, the personnel administer vaccines or shift them to the animal care centres.

NGOs roped in

Hyderabad: In addition to the municipal corporation’s efforts, five NGOs are taking up animal birth control procedures and vaccination of street dogs in the five municipal circles of Kapra, Serilingampally, Malakpet, Mehdipatnam and Alwal.

Under a pilot project, the municipal corporation had roped in the five NGOs for taking up sterilisation, Anti Rabies vaccination and other healthcare issues of street dogs in the city.

To this effect, the municipal corporation signed agreements with the five NGOs and the organisations have already began working. This is being done as part of ensuring ward-wise 100 per cent sterilisation of canines across GHMC limits.

Dog menace complaints can be lodged over GHMC helpline number 040-2111-1111 or the MyGHMC app.

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