Govt wants BBMP to rid Bangalore of stray dogs in six months

If the state government means what it says, the city will be free of stray dogs in six months.

At a panel meeting on Wednesday headed by legislative council chairman DH Shankaramurthy, the state government directed the BBMP to take steps to contain the stray menace, within six months.

Members of the panel demanded that the government  decide on whether street dogs could be culled. There were legal matters to be resolved, before a decision could be taken in the matter.

“There is no harm in killing dogs which pose a threat to people. The state government need not give heed to the NGOs. Instead, it should give importance to the concerns of the public,”  said member of the legislative council MC Nanaiah, who sought that the BBMP commissioner make it mandatory for every dog owner in the city to get a licence from the Palike.

BBMP council’s ruling party leader BR Nanjundappa said the commissioner had explained the programmes to contain the stray menace through a presentation. “We have explained to the government animal birth control measures adopted by the BBMP. The matter is pending in the Supreme Court. Till the verdict comes, we cannot take any action regarding this,” he said. “City mayor Sharadamma said that since the culling issue was in court, the BBMP had left the decision to the state government. Urban development minister S Suresh Kumar and other Bangalore MLAs also attended the meeting.