New joint shed for dogs, cattle to come up in Surat; sterilisation not being carried out properly: SMC Opposition leader

The new shelter, being built while keeping the expansion of Surat city in mind, is spread in 29,000 square metre area. It is being constructed at a cost of Rs 16.60 crore. A veterinary hospital will also be established on the premises, said an official. The infrastructure development work is being conducted in two phases: while the first phase is complete, the second one is nearing completion and will be inaugurated in a couple of months, the official of SMC Rander zone added.

Meanwhile, the SMC administrative staff on Tuesday sent a proposal to the SMC standing committee seeking its nod for the sterilisation and vaccination of stray dogs being handed to a new firm.
According to the details mentioned in the proposal, the tender has been given to the firm after following due process.
During the two-year contract period, the firm will sterilise and vaccinate 30,000 stray dogs at a cost of Rs. 3.93 crore (approximately Rs. 1,310 per dog). Sources in SMC stated that the previous firm was doing the job at a rate of Rs 1,199 per dog.

SMC Market Superintendent Digvijay Ram said, “Till date, no survey has been done regarding the number of stray dogs. This is why the actual figure could not be known. We have been handing out two-year contracts to different firms for vaccination and sterilisation.”
On how the procedure is carried out, he said, “Once a stray dog is caught by our team from a certain area, it is kept at the Bhestan stray dog shed for four days where vaccination and sterilisation are done. Later, the dog is freed in the same area (where it was picked from). We give a ‘V’ shape cut on the lower part of the dog’s ear so that the team that comes to impound the animals knows that this particular canine has been sterilised and vaccinated.”

Ram further said, “At present, we have a single dog shed at Bhestan. The new dog shed is coming up in Variav area; it is on the verge of completion and will be inaugurated soon. Once the new set-up becomes operational, more dogs will be vaccinated and sterilised.”

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Payal Sakariya, who is the Leader of the Opposition at SMC, told The Indian Express: “I also have a couple of dogs at my house and I know that once a dog is vaccinated, it never bites. But despite the SMC spending crores on contracts for vaccination and sterilisation, cases of dog bites are reported at Surat New Civil Hospital and SMC-run SMIMER Hospital. If proper vaccination and sterilisation is being carried out, why is there a rise in the number of stray dogs in the city?”
She further said, “The money for vaccination and sterilisation goes into the pockets of SMC officials and the NGOs they know. We have raised this issue before the standing committee, asking why such a huge amount is being spent where there are no results. We are not against vaccination or sterilisation, but we want actual work to get done.”