Beastly behavior

What is it with Bangalore’s politicians? A city whose substantive and symbolic contribution to remaking India is so great is host to a political culture that often seems to draw inspiration from primitive illogic. The latest and grotesque example is the politically inspired mob frenzy about killing the city’s stray dogs. A minister issued a public call for a ‘final solution’ after an incident of a child dying from dog bites. Who argues that the death of a child is not a terrible tragedy? But who argues that blood for blood revenge is effective civic policy? Irresponsible, ill-informed rulers. Politicians who don’t know their city or the experience of other cities in India or basic science.

Those championing the appallingly misdirected, disorganised and cruel pogrom against Bangalore’s strays should know the city authorities had tried killing as a population control solution for six decades — electrocution was the preferred method — and failed. A court direction a few years back on adopting sterlisation/vaccination as the policy —many Indian cities, including metros Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata follow this — brought sense and science back to Bangalore’s response to strays. The effects were starting to be visible — WHO studies say that once 70 per cent of a city’s strays is sterilized, the population stabilises — and would have had a greater impact had Bangalore’s frenetic growth been better managed municipally. Garbage disposal is a huge problem. The tragic incident that sparked the mob frenzy happened at the garbage dump that owes its existence to unregulated meat shops.

But has Bangalore heard a minister issuing a call for a war against garbage? Of course not. Cleanliness doesn’t get you as much local press as kill orders. The mobs, as mobs do, will go away after some time. Bangalore’s authorities would hopefully then resume giving precedence to scientific and humane solutions. You can’t solve anything if beastly behaviour starts right at the top.