City to get second animal birth control centre

The new facility at Ondipudur to have more than 10 rooms

The animal birth control centre at Ondipudur in the city is expected to become functional in a month.

In an effort aimed at controlling the stray dog population in the city, the Coimbatore Corporation will soon throw open its second animal birth control (ABC) centre in Ondipudur.

A Corporation official overseeing the development said that having almost completed the centre’s construction, the civic body had applied to the Tangedco for power connection. Meanwhile, it was also working to supply water.

The Corporation was forced to construct the new centre in Ondipudur after it had to close down the centre in Ukkadam in March 2017, following opposition from the residents there. The residents had complained that the dogs housed there were troubling the residents. And, a few dogs also ventured out of the centre to trouble motorists at night.

After closing down the centre, the Corporation began scouting for a land and finally settled for 50 cents near the Ondipudur sewage treatment plant and the construction began in 2019.

The official said the centre had more than 10 rooms to house the dogs, accommodate workers, an operation theatre and for storing medical equipment.

Kalpana Vasudevan of People for Animals Unit II, who was earlier using the Ukkadam ABC centre, said she had sought a few additional details which the Corporation had promised to look in to.

She had asked the Corporation to shift some of the materials lying idle at the Ukkadam centre to Ondipudur to start using the centre at the earliest.

She was looking at operating 20 to 25 stray dogs a month in a few months after starting ABC work.

Initially she would start with half the targeted number and gradually increase the number. But for her to increase the number of dogs to be operated, the Corporation should give her at least ₹ 700 a dog.

The Corporation had thus far given her only ₹ 445 a dog, which was insufficient, she pointed out.

The Corporation official said only after the Ondipudur ABC centre’s inauguration, the Corporation would think about dividing the five zones in the city between the two NGOs working on ABC.

Earlier, PFA Unit II had four zones and the Humane Animal Society, which operates from the Seeranaickenpalayam Centre, a zone – West.