City Mayor Rayana Bhagyalakshmi and Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC) Commissioner Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar have asked the officials concerned to ensure that at least 100 stray dogs are sterilised on a daily basis to address the canine menace in the city.
Ms. Bhagyalakshmi and Mr. Swapnil conducted a meeting with the officials, animal welfare activists and representatives of NGOs and discussed the steps to be taken to address the dog menace.
Mr. Swapnil asked officials to rope in colony representatives and animal welfare activists to create awareness among the denizens. Officials were also instructed to conduct awareness meetings with the hoteliers and meat vendors so that indiscriminate disposal of eatables was avoided.
He said that the Animal Care and Protection Act, 2001 should be duly followed and anti-rabies vaccines should be administered to 100 dogs per day, using the three dog catcher vehicles available.
People can reach the VMC by dialling the toll-free number 18004252000 or WhatsApp number 8181960909 to report issues pertaining to stray dogs.
YSRCP Floor Leader A. Venkata Satyanarayana, TDP Floor Leader Nelibandla Balaswamy, CPI(M) Floor Leader Boyi Satyababu and others were present in the meeting.