JAGATSINGHPUR: The menace of stray dogs continues unabated in Jagatsinghpur. Going by the Supreme Court order in 2016, Jagatsinghpur Municipality had initiated a sterilisation drive for stray dogs in 2017, culling being ruled out.
The drive was conducted in cooperation with police and voluntary groups. But only five dogs were sterilised and vaccinated against rabies in the district veterinary hospital.
No steps were taken to continue the drive in the following years. This led to the number of stray dogs increasing over time. According to locals, the municipality staff had bought one van to transport stray dogs but it had been left unused.
Besides, five persons, hired by the civic body to catch stray dogs, had been engaged for cutting grass, sanitation and other works. Despite having undergone training for stray dog management in 2017 in Bhubaneswar, the trainees had not been deployed for the purpose. Responding to queries on tackling the menace, a senior officer of Veterinary department said a Veterinary surgeon and other employees would be deployed for anti-rabies vaccination, provided the municipality supplied equipment for the purpose.
On the other hand, Jagatsinghpur Municipality Executive Officer Baladev Behera said they are ready to purchase equipment for sterilisation but the Veterinary department is yet to send a proposal. “The Veterinary Department has not yet given a proposal to purchase equipment. As there are no sterilisation activities, people trained for the purpose have been engaged elsewhere,” he said.
As per the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001, stray dogs need to be sterilised and after giving them rabies shot, they should be returned to the same locality. There has been an increase in number of stray dogs in Jagatsinghpur and Paradip so much so that they have become one of the main reasons for road accidents.