TIRUCHY: The corporation's bid to end stray dog menace hit a bump in the road when an NGO, entrusted with the task of running its animal birth control centre at Konakkarai, abruptly stopped work in June.
This comes at a time when the civic body is taking sustained efforts to tackle stray cattle menace across the city. During a recent council meeting, stray dog menace was taken up and councillors said the corporation should avoid entrusting such centres to NGOs. According to sources, the corporation has now sought
the help of the animal husbandry department to run animal birth control centres. Even as the corporation is expecting the construction of three new centres to end by September, councillors have strongly objected to NGOs running them.
A senior corporation official said, "The NGO which was running the Konakkarai centre stopped operations without giving us any information. We tried to get a response from them but could not. We have requested the animal husbandry department to provide doctors for conducting surgeries at our animal birth control centres. They have promised us support. We are hoping to start operations at the three new centres and the existing one from next month."
Sources said the corporation is not having any clear-cut information about stray dog population. Senior officers opined that it would be in the range of 10,000 to 15,000.
"From next month, we will be sterilising an average of about 500 dogs a week. So, we will be able to control the stray dog population," an official said. Sources said that if this strategy works, the civic body will eradicate the menace within a couple of years.
However, residents said the corporation should come up with long-term and short-term plans to effectively tackle the issue.
"What will they do if they are unable to start operations of the centres as per plan the next month? How will they handle complaints about violent dogs in any area till then? So, the corporation should have a Plan-B to handle complaints from residents till it puts the operations of all the four animal birth control centres on top gear," said J Balaji, a resident of KK Nagar. Officials said they would consider all the issues and suggestions.