Stray dogs to stay put in Thiruvananthapuram streets for a while

Machine for sterilisation remains unused

The laparoscopy unit at the Veterinary Hospital in Pettah, bought in 2006 and remaining idle since then, is unlikely to be put to use any time soon. A team of experts from the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Wayanad, which had arrived here to have a look at the unit, returned a day ahead of schedule, apparently miffed by the Corporation’s ‘approach to them.’

“The Corporation could not find enough doctors to make use of the machine, though a few had been trained in it. The team from Wayanad who was here to do keyhole surgery on stray dogs, was supposed to check it. But they went back, dissatisfied with the Corporation’s approach towards them. The chances of their coming back soon are slim. Such a machine would have supplemented the Corporation’s efforts to control the number of stray dogs,” said a Health official.

In the five days that the team was here, they could sterilise only 50 dogs, a miniscule number compared to the total number of strays in the city, which is around 10,000 by some estimates.

More hurdles

The civic body’s efforts to find a permanent solution to the problem will drag on due to the impending general election, which will prevent new agreements from being signed with contractors, without the permission of the Election Commission.

“The agreements can be signed only after informing the EC that the tender on a particular work was called before the election was declared. But for projects which can directly influence voters, it is hard to get clearance,” said Welfare standing committee chairman Palayam Rajan.

Other parties

The Corporation has already watched presentations by the Sathya Sai Orphanage Trust and Humane Society International (HSI), two of the organisations that have responded to the Expression of Interest call.

The People for Animals, and We Care for People, an NGO from Mumbai, are expected to present their ideas before the officials in the coming days.

“The Sathya Sai Trust’s plans are on a limited scale, on a ward basis with public participation. The HSI has the expertise and personnel to carry out sterilisation on a massive scale. They have already tried it in Goa. Their plan consists of 24 doctors and five dog catchers. They will conduct site inspection next week,” said Corporation Secretary S. Venketesapathy.