BHUBANESWAR: In the eye of the storm over increasing incidents of dog bite cases in the city, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Tuesday said it is waiting for the high court order to proceed with its animal birth control (ABC) programme for sterilisation of dogs.
With the commencement of the breeding season of dogs, the incidents of canine bites have also increased by at least 50 per cent in the city, sources said. Capital Hospital director Dr Lakshmidhar Sahu said the premier government hospital alone gets around 60 dog bite cases per day these days. “This number was around 40-45 a month back,” he said.
Besides, dozens of people visit different private hospitals in the city for dog bite treatment every day, sources said. Municipal commissioner Vijay Amruta Kulange, however, said they are not able to proceed with the birth control programme of dogs given the stay order of Orissa High Court on the ABC programme.“As soon as we receive direction, the birth control drive will start,” he said adding, the programme will help check the growing stray dog population in the city and prevent dog bite cases.
Kulange further informed that the civic body has finalised an agency to carry out the drive. Besides, a canine shelter and treatment facility having a capacity to accommodate 250 dogs is being readied where stray dogs rescued from the streets will be kept. It has all the provisions including a veterinary facility, he added.