HYDERABAD: Despite the tall claims of the GHMC of containing the stray dog population in the city, the slow pace of sterilisation under the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme has aggravated the situation. The stray dog menace continues to haunt citizens in Greater Hyderabad.
On an average, the Institute of Preventive Medicine (IPM), Narayanaguda, and Fever Hospital, Nallakunta, receive close to 200 dog-bite victims per day for treatment in summer. The number goes up to 250 a day as summer progresses to a scorching stage and dogs are more likely to get ferocious.
Though GHMC officials say that they are sparing no efforts to contain dog-bite cases, the number of victims rushing to the two city hospitals expose the falsity of their claim. Out of the approximate 5,70,720 stray dog population in Hyderabad, 1.70 lakh have not been sterilised though the GHMC claims that over 75-80 per cent of canines have been covered under the programme.
For instance, the percentage of sterilisation in various zones is as follows: Charminar (57.50 per cent) followed by Khairatabad (66.30 per cent), Secunderabad (69.70 per cent), L B Nagar (74.4 per cent),
Kukatpally (78.3 per cent) and Serilingampally (85.7 per cent).
Under the Animal Birth Control/Anti Rabies Programme, street dogs are caught and moved to the five Animal Care Centres located at Fathullaguda (LB Nagar Zone), Chudibazar (Charminar Zone), Patelnagar (Khairatabad Zone), KPHB Colony (Serilingampally Zone) and Mahadevpur (Kukatpally and Secunderabad Zones) for sterilisation and immunisation against rabies disease.
The civic body has engaged the services of five organisations recognised by the Animal Welfare Board of India viz., People For Animals, Animal Welfare Society, Navodaya Vet Society, Blue Cross of Hyderabad and Vet’s Society for Animal Welfare and Rural Development for conducting birth control operations and anti-rabies vaccination in L B Nagar, Charminar, Khairatabad, Serilingampally and Kukatpally zones.