THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Work on the district’s first ABC (Animal Birth Control) centre-cum-multi-speciality veterinary hospital will kick off this month.
Sources said the tender for the project, coming up at Thiruvallam, has been awarded and the work will be wrapped up in 18 months.
The facility will also act as a one-stop care centre for all pet-related emergencies, vaccination, their post-operative care. It will also offer care for rescued animals. The corporation has set aside `4.15-crore for the project.
Though sterilisation of stray dogs is essential to keep their population in check, the corporation has been unable to conduct the same as the lone ABC centre at Vandithadam was shut two years ago on the High Court’s orders owing to poor facilities.
“The new ABC Centre will enable us to carry out 35 surgeries a day. It will be able to cater to the entire district. We need such a dedicated facility to ensure proper management of stray dogs,” said a corporation official.
As per a recent survey by the corporation, stray dog population has declined in the capital. As per the survey, there are around 8,679 strays in the corporation’s limits and that around 42% of them are sterilised.
“To curb rise in stray dog population, we need to sterilise 80% of them. Once, the new facility comes up, we will be able to do better,” the official said.