As stray dog menace continues to rise in Kollam with the district reporting multiple incidents in the last seven days, the failure in implementing Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme has once again come to the fore.
Despite the district administration preparing a hotspot register based on the number of dog bite cases, no effective steps have been taken to address the issue in a consistent manner.
Apart from the attack on school students on Monday, canine menace in Kollam city has seen a sudden surge of late as most roads are infested with strays.
“They have become a serious bother as the dogs now enter our compounds. They jump over the walls and roam through the premises day and night, but the Corporation authorities have taken no action so far. The situation is too serious and worrisome as many houses in the area have toddlers and elderly people. There are many schools in the area and children often complain about stray dogs chasing them,” says Louis, a resident of Pattathanam. While some roads and bylanes have become increasingly unsafe for children, dogs freely roaming in residential areas and entering compounds has triggered panic among residents. “We have noticed that the number of dogs in many parts in the city has doubled in a couple of weeks. We suspect that they are leaving strays from panchayats in corporation area thinking the city will have more food sources. We identify five dogs from an area for ABC programme and next week there will be more than ten. The Corporation has strengthened surveillance measures and strict action will be taken against this,” said Mayor Prasanna Earnest,” says Mayor Prasanna Eranest. According to officials from Animal Husbandry Department, only 1,620 dogs were neutered in 2023 under ABC in panchayat areas where as the number is 2,449 in Kollam Corporation. “Both Corporation and Kollam district panchayat had set aside ₹50 lakh for ABC. Though the programme was started in January, we couldn’t continue it as many local bodies couldn’t provide all the infrastructure. As per the new norms, dogs should be fed rice and meat instead of pellets while they are kept at the centre after the surgery. That means apart from the air-conditioned operation theatre and cages, we will have to establish a kitchen for the purpose. At present we can put only one dog in a cage which is also not very practical. The programme came to standstill in 90% local bodies due to all these issues,” says the official.
