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Sterilisation centres across state: Gujarat’s ₹70 crore plan to end stray dog menace
An eight-member review committee has been formed in Gujarat to review the effective implementation of the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023.
The Centre notified the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, on March 10, 2023, to address the menace of stray dogs in municipal corporations and municipalities. (File Photo)
Taking proactive measures under the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, the Gujarat government is setting up dog sterilisation centres in every municipal corporation, municipality, and Nagarpalikas in the state.
Currently, such Animal Birth Control (ABC) centres for stray dogs are only available at eight municipal corporations—two each at Ahmedabad and Vadodara, and one each at Surat, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Junagadh and Gandhinagar.
The Centre notified the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, on March 10, 2023, to address the menace of stray dogs in municipal corporations and municipalities. For the implementation of these measures, the Urban Development and Urban Housing Department in January this year constituted an eight-member committee that held its first meeting on January 30.
“A review committee is hereby constituted to review the effective implementation of the guidelines and the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 of the Government of India with regard to the problem of stray animals and stray dogs in the municipal corporations and municipality areas,” the Government Resolution (GR) issued on January 9 states
“The decision to cover the entire state with sterilisation centres for stray dogs in each district, municipal corporation, municipality and nagarpalika will help in controlling the numbers. These measures are in consonance with the Supreme Court guidelines on stray dogs pertaining to the ongoing hearing at the apex court,” Komal Bhatt, joint secretary, Urban Development and Urban Housing Department, told The Indian Express.
The scope of work for the review committee mainly includes three areas—infrastructure development, including sterilisation centres, seizure of stray dogs, and daily expense of maintenance of such seized animals at these centres.
At present, dog sterilisation in Gujarat is conducted at eight municipal corporations with the help of animal welfare NGOs, focusing on controlling the stray population under the ABC rules that provide for catching, surgery, and post-operative care.
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Bhatt added that a budget of Rs 70 crore has been proposed for the same under the ABC programme. “To start with, 33 such sterilisation centres will be developed. These include the existing eight and the additional nine, covering all the municipal corporations, including the newly created ones and 18 nagarpalikas and districts (including the recently created new district of Vav-Tharad). Gradually, these will be added to other areas; the number of centres will be increased by adding more (from one to two),” he added.
The review committee has been directed to submit a report suggesting recommendations for the effective implementation of the guidelines of the Urban Housing Department and the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023. The report is expected to be submitted within two months.
| S. No. | Review committee members |
| 1 | Commissioner of municipalities administration, Gandhinagar, as the chairman |
| 2 | Municipal commissioner, Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation |
| 3 | Municipal commissioner, Mehsana Municipal Corporation |
| 4 | Joint director, Gujarat State Animal Welfare Board |
| 5 | Deputy municipal commissioner, Nadiad Municipal Corporation |
| 6 | Head of cattle nuisance control department—CNCD/Legal, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation |
| 7 | Chief officer, Kalol Municipality |
| 8 | Assistant director, office of the commissioner of municipalities administration, Gandhinagar, as member secretary |
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