HYDERABAD: The state government has set up two panels to implement the Animal Birth Control-Anti Rabies (ABC-AR) programme aimed at eradicating rabies and reducing man-animal conflicts.
An order issued by the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD) department on Tuesday announced the formation of the State Animal Birth Control implementation and monitoring committee (SABC) and the Local Animal Birth Control (Local ABC) monitoring committee.
The SABC, comprising 13 members, will be chaired by the special chief secretary, principal secretary, or secretary in charge of the MAUD department. The officer in charge of the state Animal Welfare Board will serve as the member secretary and nodal officer for programme implementation. Members from Health and Family Welfare, Panchayat Raj, CDMA, GHMC, GWMAC, and other departments will also participate.
This committee will oversee the implementation of the ABC-AR programme by establishing monitoring committees at local levels as per Animal Birth Control Rules. The SABC will devise a district-wise plan for managing dog populations in urban and rural areas, ensuring the necessary infrastructure and budget are allocated. Recognised agencies with the required training and experience will be enlisted to carry out the programme.
Additionally, the SABC will ensure the availability of fully equipped ABC facilities, ambulances, and other resources for the programme. It will monitor the programme statewide, investigate complaints about animal cruelty or rule violations, and take appropriate action.
The Local ABC, consisting of five members from respective districts, will be headed by the municipal commissioner or executive officer of the local authority. This committee will manage the dog control programme which will oversee activities such as catching, transportation, sheltering, sterilisation, vaccination, treatment, and release of dogs.
Veterinarians, authorised by the committee, will decide on euthanising critically ill, fatally injured, or rabid dogs using sodium pentathol, with decisions made by a sub-committee including two veterinary officers and a representative from a recognised animal welfare organisation. The sub-committee will document the reasons for euthanasia for each case.
The Local ABC will also provide guidelines to pet dog owners and commercial breeders, monitor dog bite incidents, and investigate their causes and locations, determining whether the bites were from stray or pet dogs.