NGO neutering dogs resumes work as municipal corporation vows better infra
It was in October last year when the NGO, Bezubaan, had shut its operations. The district’s Municipal Corporation (MC) approached the NGO in 2019 for a year long term before giving them an extension till April 2021.
In December, a source working in the NGO had told the Indian Express, “We had worked out of Sector 3 during our first term. During the second, the MC allotted us a space in Sukhdarshanpur but poor hygienic conditions, lack of equipment and their unwillingness to cooperate drove us to break off the contract.”
https://images.indianexpress.com/2020/08/1x1.pngThe NGO had neutered as many as 6000 dogs in their first tenure but could only neuter about 200 dogs in the half-lived second term.
The contract was restored on March 3 and as per an announcement made by Mayor Kulbhushan Goyal, 80 dogs have been sterilized since then. “In Sukhdarshanpur Canal House, this work is being done for animal birth control on behalf of the Bezubaan Sanstha,” said Goyal.
With dog biting cases seeing a steep rise in Panchkula, Goyal along with Deputy Municipal Commissioner Deepak Sura, Chief Sanitation Inspector Avinash Singla, and Committee member Councilor Sunit Singla reportedly met the head of Bezubaan Sanstha, Shaurya Gilhotra, anddirected the NGO to accelerate the sterilisation of dogs with immediate effect.
“The number of stray dogs is increasing continuously in the city, due to which the residents of the city are facing a lot of trouble. We are focusing on solving this problem,” said Goyal. Making the city free of stray dogs has also been listed as one of the seven main concerns by Haryana Vidhan Sabha Speaker Gian Chand Gupta, but no work had been started on the issue till now.
A member of the NGO speaking to the Indian Express said, “We have retaken the project with the condition of better work amenities. Dogs being operated on require care and hygienic conditions. The infrastructure currently available just does not cut it for us. Earlier we would neuter 20 dogs a day. This came down to less than 10 in absence of our requirements. We can even neuter 40 dogs a day if we are given all the equipment we ask for. The MC has promised to provide us with better infrastructure very soon and that is the sole reason we have resumed our work. We are currently only neutering male dogs as that is easier. We will move on to females once we get what we have asked for.”
As per a press statement shared by the MC, Gilhotra, the head of Bezubaan Sanstha, has pointed out some problems, on which the Mayor directed the concerned officials to solve these problems with immediate effect. “Shaurya told that there is no arrangement for drinking water and electricity in the dog canal house. There is no toilet no arrangement of a generator set, and no room for the caretaker to stay. Also, there is no provision of lights, tables, ACs or fans in the operation theatres. The Mayor has instructed the municipal commissioner to make arrangements and provide all necessities with immediate effect,” the statement read.
“A WhatsApp helpline number 9876252622 has also been issued by Bezubaan Sanstha for people to register their complaints,” said Goyal.Meanwhile, cases of stray dog bites in the district Panchkula have risen more than two times in the past three years, as per the records made available by the district health authorities. While a total of 2,800 cases had been reported in 2018, more than 7,000 were reported in 2021.
