HYDERABAD: It looks as though the 141 municipalities in Telangana are unaware of Animal Birth Control — the only scientific method of controlling the population of stray dogs. The guidelines for the same were spelt out in a 100-page order issued by the Supreme Court in 2001.
Letting these rules go for a toss, these municipalities are now resorting to inhumane practises of controlling dog population.
In the last week, for instance, around 150 dogs were poisoned to death by the local municipal authorities of Vikarabad and Siddipet. Activists have now filed an FIR against the municipal bodies. As per the guidelines laid out by the SC in 2001, dogs can only be neutered and sterilised.
However, with no machinery in place, there is hardly any way for growing towns to deal with it. Take Siddipet, for instance.
Higher-ups in the municipality reveal that there are no veterinary centres, doctors, medicines or dog-catching vans to carry out Animal Birth Control.
In fact, sources say that there is no component in the budget that enables allocation of funds for these measures. As a result, they catch dogs in garbage-picking vans and throw them into forests.
“It is not a new problem that only Telangana is facing. It was a problem that was addressed by the Supreme Court way back in 2001 while specifying that ABC’s the only solution,” said Pravalika Nigam, an animal rights activist. Meanwhile, the civic authorities were unavailable for comment.