THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Keralam’s plan to take its portable animal birth control (ABC) model beyond the pilot stage has stalled, with the Rs 2 crore earmarked for the initiative in the previous financial year lapsing without being utilised, even as demand for sterilisation services continues to rise and the state faces renewed judicial scrutiny over its stray-dog management.
Nearly a year after the state rolled out what was billed as the country’s first portable ABC centre, the animal husbandry department has not made any provision for expanding the project in the current financial year. The department had proposed taking the mobile facility to seven districts, but the plan failed to move forward amid procedural hurdles.
Recently, the Kerala High Court registered suo motu proceedings to monitor the implementation of the Supreme Court’s directives on stray-dog management and the ABC programme in the state.
The shortage of permanent ABC infrastructure has also increased demand for the lone portable unit currently operating in Thiruvananthapuram district. Since its launch, the unit has been deployed in three local bodies in the district, with officials receiving an increasing number of requests from local bodies for its services.
The pilot has demonstrated the utility of the model, with more than 400 ABC procedures completed in Nedumangad municipality and 306 in Karavaram grama panchayat, according to official sources. However, despite the experience gained from the pilot, the proposed statewide expansion has remained on paper.
Following the rollout of the pilot, the previous government had entrusted Nirmithi Kendra with preparing a detailed project report (DPR) for expanding the model.
The proposal envisaged deploying portable ABC units at the block level, allowing sterilisation facilities to be taken to areas where permanent centres are unavailable.
For 2025-26, the animal husbandry department had planned to extend the portable ABC project to seven districts: Kollam, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Malappuram, Kannur, Palakkad and Kottayam.
The proposal, however, ran into financial and regulatory hurdles. According to an animal husbandry department official, the finance department did not approve the proposal after the estimated project cost crossed Rs 1 crore.
Meanwhile, the local self-government department is seeking to revive the portable ABC plan. LSGD principal director Divya S Iyer told TNIE that the department would work with the animal husbandry department to expedite the process.
“We are also planning to use the existing portable ABC unit in other districts,” she said.