Media News Archive

Civic body spends around Rs. 25 crore on sterilisation with little results. Residents in colonies and drivers on different roads of Hyderabd continue being chased by stray dogs.

What expenses would have the civic body incurred to sterilise and vaccinate 44,100 stray dogs in the city? Leaders of Lok Satta’s city unit, who got details from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) through an RTI application, say they are shocked to find it to be around Rs. 25 crore!

And that too with no visible results on the ground, and with residents in colonies and drivers on different roads continue being chased by stray dogs.

The Lok Satta GHMC unit general secretary Sambi Reddy on Wednesday told reporters that details collected through RTI from the GHMC put the expenditure incurred by the civic body on this count at Rs. 42 crore plus. The information says that the GHMC, in five years from 2009 to 2015, incurred Rs.39.93 crore on stray dogs control and Rs. 2.10 crore for dog squad vehicles.

“Assuming some component of the expenditure went for monkey catching, on rescued cows and so on, we calculated their stray dog control expenses at Rs. 25 crore. For 44,100 dogs, this amount will mean Rs. 5,000 per each stray canine which is very high,” says Mr. Reddy while demanding that the civic body explain how the amount was spent on the animal birth control programme and why no results were observed on the ground.

Leaders of Lok Satta local unit wondered how despite the GHMC claim of spending such large amounts over the last five years, the dog population in the city is increasing.

Courtesy: The Hindu

The population of stray dogs in the city may be rising, but the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) says its veterinary programme has been successful. In fact, the corporation seems to have spent Rs 25 crore on vaccines for stray dogs.

However, in an RTI application, B Sambi Reddy, general secretary, Lok Satta Party, questioned the motive behind the GHMC spending Rs 25 crore to vaccinate 44,100 dogs since 2009 as part of its sterilisation and antirabies vaccination drive.

“When the market rate of the vaccine is around Rs 40, why has the civic body spent Rs 5,000 to sterilise one dog. The people of the city are at a loss to understand the expenditure patterns. Even if they incur expenditure as high as Rs 5,000, the population of dogs continues to be at an all-time high,“ Sambi Reddy rued.

He further said there have been 35,000 cases of dog bites in the last one year, out of which the victim died in 23 cases. Recently, stray dogs mauled a patient at the Gandhi Hospital. “There are as many as five lakh dogs feely roaming the streets in the GHMC limits. People of the city deserve to have this problem sorted out,“ he added.

Defending its expenditure, officials from the veterinary department of the GHMC said that they have not spent as much amount as shown in the RTI reply. “The expenditure that we have shown comprises purchase of vaccines, labour, vehicle and other charges. That is why the expenditure seems to be bloated,“ clarified P Venkateshwara Reddy, chief veterinary officer, veterinary wing, GHMC.

Courtesy: Times of India