Bhubaneswar intensifies sterilisation of stray dogs with dedicated centre

Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has opened a dedicated stray dog sterilisation centre at Mancheswar in Odisha capital.

“The centre can house 300 dogs and conduct about 100 operations a day,” the civic body tweeted.

It is equipped with 48 kennels, two operation theatres and five operation tables. Two vehicles are available with the centre to pick up and drop back the stray dogs after sterilisation. “A team of veterinarians and support staff has been deployed to carry out sterilisation. The team will take special care of the dogs during their stay at the centre,” said Mayor Sulochana Das, who inaugurated the centre along with MLA (North Bhubaneswar) Susanta Kumar Rout on Tuesday.

She stressed that sterilisation as the only way to safeguard Bhubaneswar from the street dog menace.

The stray dogs will also be administered anti-rabbies vaccine before being shifted back to their respective places.

It may be mentioned here that sterilisation of stray dogs was put on hold in Bhubaneswar following a stay order passed by Orissa High Court in July last year while hearing a PIL, alleging that the state government was undertaking dog sterilisation without a monitoring committee as directed by the Supreme Court.

On January 8, the High Court lifted the stay after government constituted an Animal Birth Control (ABC) Implementation and Monitoring Committee.