JAGATSINGHPUR: Stray dog sterilisation under the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Programme of Veterinary Department has gone for a toss in Jagatsinghpur. Population of stray dogs is on the rise and so is dog bite cases in the district. Twelve persons including five children suffered dog bite in the last one week in Katara under Tirtol police limits.
Sources in the District Headquarters Hospital said at least 540 cases of dog bites were treated in the last one year. The number would go up if the number of people going to private hospitals for anti-rabies is taken into consideration. Apparently, no step is being taken under the ABC programme to bring the situation under control.
A 20-room kennel was constructed in Jagatsinghpur under the ABC programme at the cost of `10 lakh in 2014 for sterilisation of stray dogs. However, not a single dog has been kept here and no sterilisation operation performed in the last two years. The kennel has no operation theatre (OT) and surgical equipment for sterilisation surgery. Besides, there are no dog catching vehicles and staff to catch the stray dogs. As a result, the kennel has been lying unused.
Additional District Veterinary Officer, Girija Prasad Tripathy said three veterinary assistant surgeons, one livestock inspector and two attendants are required to run the dog sterilisation project. Besides this, one OT room including surgical equipment, specific infrastructure, a dog catching vehicle and medicines are required, but no measures have been taken yet to make the facilities available in the kennel.
At least `500 is required to catch a stray dog and sterilise it, but the required funds are not provided by the Municipality authorities to the district veterinary unit. As per the procedure, after a dog is caught, it is sterilised and kept under observation for seven days before being released.
Executive Officer of Jagatsinghpur Municipality, Maheswer Das said State Government’s intervention has been sought for construction of an OT in the kennel and purchasing dog catching equipment. Although the civic body had got `eight lakh for purchasing a dog catching vehicle, it has not been done so far as there are no facilities to keep the dogs in the kennel.