Stray dog menace: Corp to intensify checks

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The city corporation special council meeting held on Saturday to discuss stray dog menace decided to conduct inspections at pet shops and pet food and accessories shops in coming days to ensure that they are functioning as per norms and the dogs are properly vaccinated. The inspections will be carried out by the health wing of the civic body.

Mayor S Arya Rajendran said that the decision to conduct inspections at pet shops is part of the vaccination drive for pet dogs within the corporation limits starting Sunday. The three-day special drive is to vaccinate pet dogs that were not given shots last year.

Pet dog vaccinations will be given from 7am to 12 pm in 15 veterinary hospitals within city limits. Mayor said that the health squad would conduct inspections at hotels and slaughterhouses to ensure that they do not dump food waste and meat on streets. The corporation will also keep a tab on illegal slaughterhouses and take action to shut down them, the Mayor said.

According to Jameela Sreedharan, health standing committee chairperson, hotspots (places where at least 10 stray dogs come together) will be identified in all 100 wards to take them for vaccination in the upcoming mass drive starting from September 25 to November 1.

Corp failed to contain menace, says BJP
Meanwhile, opposition councillors said that all activities pertaining to preventing stray dog menace in the capital have come to a standstill. The opposition also demanded to close down illegal slaughterhouses and fast food joints that dump food and meat waste on streets. Opposition leader M R Gopan alleged that the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme has failed to sterilise the dogs. Similarly, he pointed out that there are many illegal slaughterhouses in the city, and the corporation should close down them immediately.

“For the past nine months, no sterilisation has been happening at Vandithadam sterilisation centre. Then how could the number of stray dogs be reduced? “So the corporation should find a way to ensure that there are no stray dogs assembled at junctions,” Gopan said.

However, S Salim, welfare standing committee chairman, said the sterilisation of stray dogs is being done effectively. “A meeting needs to be convened soon by the corporation with all stakeholders to come up with a permanent solution to prevent the menace,” he said.