Kolkata stray dog control runs into rough weather

[Guest guest]

Anandabazar Patrika, 17th July, 2008

 

 

 

More funds for stray dog vaccination

 

 

 

Milan Dutta and Koushik Ghosh

 

 

 

Stray dog vaccination and sterilization in Kolkata has gone for a toss.

 

 

 

The funds for birth control and anti rabies vaccination of stray dogs were

allocated by the Animal Welfare Board under the aegis of the Central

Environment & Forest Ministry. This year, the Animal Welfare Board has

stated that if the Kolkata Municipal Corporation provides half of the

funding the other half would be given by the Animal Welfare Board. During

the last financial year, the Animal Welfare Board had allocated 23 lakh

rupees for stray dog sterilization and vaccination. In the current year,

for that amount of money to be spent, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation has

to shell out eleven and a half lakh rupees. But since the Municipal

Corporation has not allocated any funds for stray dog control, all work has

come to a standstill.

 

 

 

Two animal welfare organizations work for stray dog sterilization and

vaccination. One hundred wards of the Municipal Corporation are under the

supervision of People for Animals(PfA). Debasis Chakrabarti, head of PfA

said, " This year we have not received any money for street dog sterilization

and vaccination. As a result all work has virtually stopped. I say virtually

since we are still capturing dogs from schools, hospitals and some

organizations. "

 

 

 

On enquiring about the targets for this year from the Chennai based Animal

Welfare Board, PfA got to know that full funding would not be provided. The

Municipal Corporation would have to pay for half the cost. And since then

the Municipal Corporation has not taken the deal forward. But the Kolkata

Municipal Corporation Joint Commissioner Shahidul Islam remarked, " We had

informed the Animal Welfare Board about our inability to provide any funds

in the current budget of this year. We requested them to pay for the entire

funding this year. We will bear half of the costs from next year. " Shahidul

Islam claims, the Animal Welfare Board has agreed to bear the entire costs

of sterilization and vaccination this year.

 

 

 

But those working in the streets emphasise that no funds have been granted.

As a result regular work of capturing street dogs has been affected. The

Municipal Corporation Joint Commissioner stated, " We have no information on

stray dog operations coming to a halt. " However, he later added enquiries

would be made if work has stopped. In 1995, the rate of rabies deaths was

fifty people a year. This decreased to ten per year in 2002. The reason

behind the declining rate of rabies death is stray dog vaccination by

capture.

 

 

 

However there is no infrastructure of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation to

capture and sterilize and vaccinate stray dogs. They are dependent on some

animal welfare organizations. These organizations receive Rs. 445 for the

whole process of capturing a dog, sterilizing and vaccinating it and

ultimately releasing it. For this exercise every dog has to be provide

shelter for 5 to 10 days. Last year, PfA sterilized and vaccinated 6500 dogs

in total. In the next year, their target is 7200. But everything depends on

the funds earmarked by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation in the present

circumstances.

 

 

 

On the other hand, dog bites in the city are on the rise in the absence of

dog capture. Last week, five people were bitten by dogs. A complaint was

filed in the Shyampukur police station. Last month, the chief of the

Bagbajar Ramkrishna Math, Swami Mumukshananda wrote a letter on the stray

dog problem in Udbodhon Lane. Some dogs were caught from the street. But

since financial help has not been forthcoming the regular dog catching work

has come to a halt.