B’luru West City commissioner calls for faster dog sterilisation, cleanliness drive

Bengaluru: Bengaluru West City Corporation Commissioner Dr. K. V. Rajendra has directed officials to speed up the progress of sterilisation surgeries for street dogs and conduct an intensive cleanliness drive across all wards in the West Corporation limits.

Speaking at a review meeting on Animal Husbandry Department programs and the implementation of Supreme Court guidelines regarding stray dog management, Dr. Rajendra emphasised the need for efficient and coordinated execution of the Animal Birth Control and Anti-Rabies Vaccination (ABC–ARV) programme. According to the Chief Veterinary Officer, the West City Corporation limits have an estimated 63,340 community dogs.

Two ABC–ARV centres, operated by authorised service providers, have a combined capacity of 171 kennels. So far, 4,068 sterilisation surgeries have been performed, along with 27,581 anti-rabies and combination vaccinations. While appreciating the department’s work with the available infrastructure, the Commissioner called for operational improvements. He instructed officials to adhere to Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) norms and Supreme Court directives without delay.

Key Measures Announced:

Accelerate sterilisation surgeries to better manage the street dog population.

Recommend regulatory simplification to the AWBI to encourage more service providers to participate in the ABC–ARV programme.

Promote adoption drives for dogs housed under long-term care. Identify designated areas for feeding community dogs. Conduct public awareness campaigns on stray dog management efforts. Clear pending payments related to the programme at the earliest. The Commissioner also confirmed that the City Corporation has sufficient stock of anti-rabies vaccines for public needs.