BENGALURU: By the end of this month, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will issue work orders for Animal Birth Control (ABC) Centres in six of the eight zones.
What is different this time in the contentious ABC programme is that the bidders must be recognised by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) or must have their vets trained by AWBI recognised centres.
“We are looking for a compassionate ABC programme. Either the agency bidding must be recognised by the AWBI or two to three vets working for them must be trained by the World Veterinary Service, an AWBI-recognised organisation,” said BBMP special commissioner of animal husbandry D Randeep.
In the ABC programmes, there have been several complaints from dog lovers of surgeons without experience doing a shoddy job.
Independent rescuers would often find strays with wounds open or poorly done. There were also allegations of the dog not being dropped back to its territory after the procedure. These problems are not expected to arise with stricter rules being laid down in the tender this time.
ABC involves spaying or neutering, anti-rabies vaccination and deworming canines. “Three other important changes that are part of this year’s programme are geotagging of pickup vehicles that take dogs to the centre, micro-chipping of dogs to keep track of rabies vaccine and birth control procedure, and integration of Shwana app,” added Randeep.
With the Shwana app, the NGO or respective contractor who will pick up the dog will now have to take photos and upload it on the app.
Details of the surgery performed will have to be entered, along with the animal’s recovery and release details.
This app will make sure that the dog is dropped back within a 50-metre radius of its original pick-up point. Only when these details are entered will the payment be made digitally to the NGO.
The technical bids are being evaluated and in a week the financial bids will begin. South and West zones did not receive any bids and will have to be re-tendered.