Residents chide BBMP for inaction

Residents chide BBMP for inaction
New Indian Express

T’PURAM: Stray dogs keep on their deadly game on hapless kids while the BBMP continues to waver on the question-to kill or not to kill the roaming dogs.

The Palike is the enforcing agency to curb stray dog menace but Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act says that local bodies cannot kill the animals. The rule says that the strays should be administered anti-rabies vaccine or sterilised and released. Palike can only kill extremely ferocious and rabid dogs.

BBMP has entrusted the animal birth control programme and anti-rabies drive to NGOs who pocket Rs 1.3 crore every year for it. But these programmes do not tackle ferocious dogs, said BBMP sources.

An official source in Palike bemoaned the misplaced sympathy of animal lovers and averred that killing the wandering dogs was the only safe solution. Palike cannot wait till a kid is killed to decide whether a dog is ferocious or not, he said.

Residents of BEML quarters, where a boy was torn to pieces by stray dogs on Wednesday, said that the NGO helplines were not of any use to them.

‘‘Whenever we call, they tell us that the quarters are not in BBMP jurisdiction,’’ a resident said. Though the quarters are in Greater Bangalore area, the flats are to be maintained by BEML.