Ludhiana to be free of stray dogs in next 18 months: minister

Inaugurating the newly constructed building of the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation’s Animal Birth Control (ABC) Centre in Haibowal area on Tuesday, Cabinet minister and Ludhiana (West) MLA Bharat Bhushan Ashu said that Ludhiana would become a ‘stray dog-free’ city within the next 18 months.

While Ludhiana MC’s dog sterilisation centre project had kicked off in 2015, it was stopped midway due to several issues. The centre that was lying incomplete has been completed now.

Ashu said that the centre has been developed at the cost of Rs 1 crore and it would have a team of three expert veterinary doctors along with staff of 14 assistants.

He added that the centre has sterilisation rooms, operation theatre, 22 kennels, including six pre and 16 post operation facilities.

According to Ashu, the new centre has two ‘dog catcher’ vehicles, which would catch the stray dogs daily and then, they would be taken to the landing area, kennels and later to the operation theatre where doctors would perform surgery.
Ashu said that following the surgery, the sterilised dogs would be kept under observation for five to six days in kennels and later would be left at the same place for where the dog catcher team had caught them as per directions of Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI).

The minister said that before leaving the stray dogs, anti-rabies shots would also be administered to them.

Ashu informed that each sterilisation would cost Rs 1,200 and the centre would carry out 100 sterilisations daily and in the next one and half year, all stray dogs in Ludhiana would be sterilised at the centre.