Somesh Kumar, Commissioner and Special Officer, GHMC said that the GHMC is planning to involve all the Residential Welfare Associations in the GHMC limits to control dog menace in the twin cities as this menace has been increased a lot when compared to that of yester years.
The Commissioner and Special Officer said that to control dog menace, proper vaccination will be given to the dogs for birth control. He held a meeting with all the Residential Welfare Associations, Senior Veterinary officials to control the dog menace in the twin cities. As per the survey made by the GHMC in the year 2011, more than 5 lakhs dogs population is there in the twin cities.
As per the guidelines framed by Animal Welfare Board of India, the GHMC is striving hard to catch stray dogs to control birth rate and also to take up operations de-warming, Anti Rabis vaccine operations duly certifying them with necessary stamping for identification for controlling the same.
Somesh Kumar said that the GHMC is having around 17 dog catching vehicles and it is planning to increase it to 24 and the vehicles will be deployed where the cases are more in the particular areas. The GHMC is also decided to depute four teams at a time for catching of dogs wherever the need is there. Since the last 4 years around 4,4286 dogs have been vaccinated for rabis etc.
Dr. Sampath from Institute of Preventive Medicine said that the dog biting has gone down when compared to that of last four years. He further stated that in the year 2010-11, 50,181 cases have been identified; in 2011-12, it was 52,264’ in 2012-13 it was 4,118 cases; in 2013-14 it was 42,953 and in the year 2014-15, it was 30,205 cases, he added.
Ms. Vasanthi from Blue Cross society said that the GHMC has to take up measures to have a Rabis free city for which everybody’s cooperation is very badly needed. She added that every colony must have animal care taker centres. Some of the officials have said that in cities like Mumbai, Calcutta, Chennai, the Government is also collecting tax for the pet animals and this type of tax should also be introduced in the GHMC.
Dr. Laxmi from Animal Welfare movement, Dr. Yogi Reddy, Retired Director of Animal Husbandry Department, N. Ravi Kiran, Additional Commissioner, Dr. Venkateshwar Reddy, Chief Veterinary Officer, GHMC and representatives from various Residential Welfare Associations / Basthi Committee have participated in the meeting which is held in GHMC today.(NSS)