Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation to outsource stray dog sterilisation

In order to effectively control the stray dog menace in the twin township, the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has planned to outsource the work of catching and sterilisation of stray dogs this financial year.

Civic officials said that the PCMC would allot contracts to conduct sterilisation of stray dogs to a private agency. “The PCMC will invite bids very soon. The private agency will be paid according to the number of sterilisations carried out by them,” said Dr Satish Gore, veterinary department chief.

The civic officials said that as the population of stray dogs increases rapidly it leads to increase in stray dog menace. To control stray dog menace there is a need for a 24-hour active dog catching squad in the city.

The civic official reeled out figures to state that there were 8,500 stray dogs in 2007. The number of dogs undergoing sterilisation must increase so that their population stabilises. A private agency having experience will be appointed to conduct the sterilisations.

Around 3,500 dog sterilisation operations are done by the PCMC health department per year. But the number of operations needs to increase to 5,000 annually.

At present the PCMC has two vehicles for catching dogs. Nearly five dogs are caught daily after receiving specific complaints from people. The rabies vaccine is also available free of cost at the
civic hospitals.

However, last year saw a decline in dog bite cases in PCMC limits as compared to 2009. According to statistics with the PCMC, 7,807 dog bite cases were reported in 2009, while 5,428 dog bite cases were reported during 2010.

Meanwhile, independent corporator Maruti Bhapkar has written a letter to the health department about the increasing stray dog menace in Pimpri-Chinchwad areas, stating that the civic dog catching squad operates from 10am to 5pm, but is unable to catch most dogs.

“Packs of dogs roam freely at night, but the squad is not active during the night,” he said and demanded that the civic dog catching squad also operate during night to effectively control the stray dog menace.