Hyderabad, December 01: Sniffer dogs are an indispensable part of police force for securing an area, be it road clearing operations for the chief minister’s convoy or bandobast at a VVIP event. But all that they get for their services is a ‘dog’s life’! Once they accomplish their duties faithfully, the canines are sent to a dilapidated building near Goshamahal stadium to rest. Reason: Only six kennels are in place.
The City Security Wing (CSW) has a dog squad consisting of 31 canines, but only six kennels. As only six sniffer dogs can be housed at the kennels, the rest are sent to a 40-year-old dilapidated building or unoccupied police quarters in Goshamahal.
The sniffer dogs are being extensively used in view of the ever-increasing VIP programmes besides being mainstay of police for providing security during festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi, Ramzan, Bakrid, etc. During the recent Ganesh festival, the canines were used so extensively that they got completely exhausted after the 11-day festivities.
With the Assembly session beginning on Thursday and the city on high alert for the Babri Masjid demolition day, the dog squad is likely to have a busy schedule for the next few days. For that, they need proper rest and food.
Presently, some dogs are forced to take shelter along with families of policemen in the unused portions of police quarters adjacent to the Goshamahal stadium. The remaining dogs are being housed at a dilapidated building. The plaster on the walls of building has peeled off at several places and locals express doubts over the stability of the old structure.
“At one point of time as the number of dogs increased and with no place to shelter them at the old building, special permission was sought to use some unused portions of residential police staff quarters,” a CSW officer said.
In 2009, the police department had taken up constructions of six kennels. Though the dog squad has grown bigger, a proposal to construct new kennels has got entangled in the bureaucratic red tape. When contacted, DCP, City Security Wing, B Malla Reddy told TOI, “We are expecting Rs 50 lakh under the Modernisation of Police Force Programme of the central government. We hope to construct kennels for accommodating over 20 dogs.”
-TOI