BENGALURU: Every dog has its day. Certainly, at least, in Bengaluru. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike is set to start first-of-its kind initiative in the country in terms of dealing with stray dogs. The palike will feed around 4,000 stray dogs once a day and supply chicken and rice to avoid aggression in animals.
The municipality has invited tenders will be spending Rs 2.88 crore annually for the initiative and claims to control aggression due to lack of food and arrest scavenging among such dogs and control conflict. According to the Special Commissioner for the BBMP Animal Husbandry Department, Suralkar Vikas Kishor, this initiative of ‘Feeding Service to Community Dogs’ by BBMP is the first in India by any municipality. Food will be supplied to 500 street dogs at selected spots in each zone. The place will be cleaned after the feeding is done.
“The initiative is a part of a larger goal of the elimination of rabies by 2030 in India. By feeding one time to community dogs, the BBMP aims at reducing the territorial aggression and fights among community dogs,” he said.
At one designated point, reusable plates will be placed and provision will be made to feed at least five dogs. The service provider must clean the plates every day after the feeding, upload GPS location photo with time stamp after the the feeding on the VVS application or any other mobile application approved by BBMP and the service provider must maintain the record for feeding number of dogs fed every day, said a senior official from BBMP Animal Husbandry Department.
The official also stated that there are over 2.5 lakh stray dogs in the BBMP limits and the dogs manage food by scavenging. Many compassion groups and residents are feeding dogs, however, not all dogs get the feed and hence BBMP has come up with the initiative, said Kishor.
As per the tender document accessed by the TNIE, the bidder must be registered with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), food ingredients must be fresh and clean and cooked in a hygienic manner. The bidder must provide one meal at the designated spot as per BBMP’s meal plan. The food should be prepared at one point in each zone. That apart, the service provider must install CCTV in the kitchen.
A retired animal husbandry department official, however, flayed the initiative and said the very purpose of reducing the stray dog population scientifically will be defeated by BBMP. “By feeding animals, the stray dogs, who are scavengers, are made human dependent for food. They remain healthy and in some place where they are treated as menace, will become worse. In some case, the stray dogs become use to regular feeder and may charge at public if there are any provocation,” said the retired official.
BONE APPETITE
What will be in the menu for strays
367 grams (750 kcl) of feed per dog
150 grams of rice
100 grams of chicken
100 grams of vegetables
10 grams edible oil
2.5 grams of antibacterial agents per dog
Cost - Rs 22.48 per dog
Total cost of the project- Rs 2.88 crore annually
Number of dogs covered to feed for 365 days-12,84,560