KMC plans to set up dog pound, adds 5 ambulances to its fleet for vet purposes
KOLKATA: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is planning to set up another dog pound in the city while it has added five more ambulances to its existing fleet for veterinary purposes.
The civic body, on Friday, flagged off five new ambulances that are to be used for carrying street dogs to sterilisation and vaccination centres. The KMC had four such ambulances. With the addition of the new ones, it now has nine veterinary ambulances.
At the inauguration event, Atin Ghosh, KMC Deputy Mayor and Member Mayor-in-Council, Health, said: “KMC’s public safety department is in charge of sterilisation and vaccination of street dogs. About 23,000 dogs in the city have been vaccinated against rabies.”
The new ambulances were bought using funds donated by TMC MP and KMC Chairperson Mala Roy. These ambulances came at a cost around Rs 44 lakh approximately. Each of such ambulances can carry six puppies. Ghosh highlighted that as per rules, the dogs, after vaccination, need to be released in the same area from where they were picked up. He said: “One need not be under the false impression that dogs are picked up and then caged forever.”
Mayor Firhad Hakim said: “It is an unfortunate sight when we see dogs have been run over by cars. Hence, we need to check their population to maintain a balance. Sterilisation of dogs was also outsourced to certain NGOs but the number of such organisations willing to do it, against the total number of dogs in the city, is way too less. There are dog lovers who feed stray dogs but when one of these animals becomes pregnant there is no one to look after them. We need adequate infrastructure to help these animals.”
There are about 8000 stray dogs in Kolkata. Hakim said: “A plot has been identified by KMC behind the Hindu burial ground in Topsia. We are planning to set up a new dog pound there. New sterilisation and surgical centre for animals can be set up there. The state Animal Resources Development Department has agreed to help us with financial assistance for the same.” KMC has an existing dog pound at Dhapa.
