BENGALURU: Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda on Tuesday expressed ire at officials of the Greater Bengaluru Authority’s (GBA) animal husbandry department for not ensuring the desired results even after spending Rs 42 crore on animal birth control (ABC) surgeries in the last five years.
Addressing the media after a meeting with the officials, the minister said strict instructions have been given to them to prepare a comprehensive action plan with a target to conduct 90,000 ABC surgeries annually in GBA jurisdiction and reach 100% coverage in the next three years.
Although many efforts have been made to solve the issue of stray dogs in the city over the past 50 years, the problem has not been brought under control to the expected level, he said. Byre Gowda added that the government is also responding to concerns and opinions of citizens, and necessary steps will be taken to find an effective solution.
ABC work has been going on in the city since 2000. Since the formation of the BBMP in 2007, ABC surgeries have been performed on 8.80 lakh dogs so far. According to the 2019 survey, there are 3.10 lakh stray dogs in the city, and according to the 2023 estimate, there are 2.79 lakh stray dogs. From 2016 to 2023, 3.33 lakh dogs have been covered under ABC.
However, the expected decrease in the number of stray dogs has not been seen. If this trend continues, the problem will not be solved permanently for many more years.
Therefore, it has been suggested to formulate a strict strategy and bring the problem under control, he said.
Currently, ABC surgery is being performed on about 45,000 street dogs per year. The target is to double this capacity by increasing the necessary infrastructure and resources, and cover 90,000 dogs per year. The minister stated that officials have been directed to work continuously for three years and achieve 100 per cent coverage in the city.
To implement the ABC work more effectively, more organizations should be involved in the work. Awareness should be created among citizens, and interested organisations should be encouraged to participate in this work. He said it has been suggested to increase the capacity by providing opportunities to organisations from other cities, along with organisations in Bengaluru.