Political meddling stifling dog birth control programme in Mumbai: Activists

While BMC records show 14954 dog sterilisations in 2023 animal activist Santosh Shirke has claimed that sterilisations surgeries conducted under the dog birth control programme have actually plummeted from 24000 in 2017 to under 12000 in 2023 Shirke attributes the alarming decline to undue political interference and manipulation of tenders in municipal corporationsShirke who is based in Pune and represents the Federation of Animal Welfare Organisations has raised serious concerns over the dwindling numbers of dog sterilisation surgeries across Maharashtra and other parts of the country In a letter to the chief minister he has alleged gross negligence by civic officialsShivani Sharma a resident of Lokhandwala feeds stray dogs File picldquoThe federation is seeking nothing extraordinary We need to balance human rights and animal welfare Such political interference and constant pressure is leading to citizens taking laws into their own hands resulting in the brutal treatment of dogs and puppiesrdquo said Santosh Shirke secretary Federation of Animal Welfare OrganisationsldquoFor the last several years the number of birth control surgeries for dogs per month has been going down drastically This has led to a rise in dog bitesrdquo said Manoj Oswal president of Janice Smith Animal Welfare TrustPolitical influenceShirke and Oswal alleged that certain political leaders seek absolute control over the ldquolucrativerdquo dog control programme focusing on highbudget cities like Mumbai Bengaluru Hyderabad and Pune These leaders have allegedly written direct letters to municipal commissioners pressuring them to allocate tenders to specific organisations while sidelining othersManoj Oswal president of Janice Smith Animal Welfare Trust right Santosh Shirke secretary Federation of Animal Welfare OrganisationsldquoIn many instances municipal commissioners have been compelled to transfer tenders to nonbidding parties or lowerranked bidders L2L3 while bypassing the legitimate winners In some cases work orders have been suspended or stopped entirely due to political pressurerdquo said ShirkeCall for transparencyAnimal welfare advocates and civic activists are demanding an independent inquiry into the alleged manipulation of municipal tenders They insist on transparency in awarding contracts to ensure that experienced and qualified organisations handle dog sterilisation efforts rather than politically favoured entities with no expertiseAccording to the guidelines laid down by the Animal Welfare Board of India the number of dogs can be controlled only if 30 per cent of the dogs are sterilised every year Considering the current stray dog population in Mumbai it is necessary to sterilise 3200034000 dogs every year and a minimum of 365 dogs every month Rising dog bite casesData from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporationrsquos BMC Deonar Abattoir office reveals a sharp rise in reported dog bite cases in Mumbai from 2020 to 2023 Obtained under the Right to Information RTI Act last year the data has raised serious concerns about public safety and animal welfareSocial activist Jeetendra Ghadge who filed the RTI and is part of The Young Whistleblowers Foundation said ldquoThe rising cases show the failure of sterilisation programmes I havenrsquot received 2024 data yet but Irsquom sure cases have increased The stray dog population is growing and I see no intervention from the civic bodyrdquoNeal Shah a Charni Road resident said ldquoI have been feeding dogs for the past decade and currently feed at least 80 to 100 dogs daily I started with five to ten dogs but the number gradually increased Whenever I see a rise in the number of stray dogs I report this to animal NGOs and the BMC which helps get them sterilised However dog bites increase when animals are hungry or unsterilised and this needs urgent attention from the civic bodyrdquoGhadge added ldquoBMC should not only address stray dog populations but also establish a dedicated portal for reporting complaints related to cruelty towards stray dogs and also towards pet dogs by their ownersrdquolsquoA serious concernrsquoSpeaking to midday Pawan Sharma founder and president of Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare said ldquoCommunity animal population is a serious concern across the country and ABC programmes are the only legal ethical and humane solution to address it Unfortunately the current focus has been limited to dogs while other animals such as cats pigs mules donkeys horses and abandoned cattle continue to multiply uncheckedrdquoldquoThe BMC has the resources and potential to set a benchmark in animal welfare If executed effectively its model could be replicated across other cities and towns significantly improving the conditions of community animalsrdquoOfficial SpeakDr Kalimpasha Pathan General Manager of the Veterinary Department and Deonar Abattoir at BMC said ldquoWe are the only urban body consistently meeting the stipulated targets for sterilisation and vaccination Other parts of the country lack the robust mechanisms that we have in place to systematically carry out sterilisation programs Currently 12 to 13 organisations are working with BMC for the sterilisation of both cats and dogsrdquo Pathan saidReported dog bites2020 610 casesall stray dogs2021 634 casesall stray dogs2022 1141 casesall stray dogs2023 1123 cases1 involving apet dog2024 192 casesup to March 2024 all stray dogsDog licences issued2020 25812021 40192022 66052023 59532024 1563up to March 2024Dog sterilisations done yearwiseYear Number of sterilisations done1994 2975 first year2015 64142016 119672017 242902018 218862019 189122020 144072021 175342022 104842023 149542024 13559 upto SeptemberSource RTI report