Hyderabad: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) veterinary department has spent Rs 25 crore on rabies vaccination for 44,286 stray dogs in the city. While a dose of vaccine costs Rs 40, officials have shown an expenditure of Rs 5,000 for a single dog.
The total expenditure for five years, from 2009 to 2015, has been put at Rs 39.93 crore for the Animal Birth Control programme (ABC). However, the population of dogs in the city has increased; it is currently more than 6 lakh.
Mr Sambi Reddy, who secured the information through an RTI application, said, “The response has revealed that the expenditure for five years, from 2009-15, was Rs 39.93 crore while expenditure on dog-squad vehicles (17 trucks) was Rs 2.10 crore. However, they are yet unable to control the dog population.”
“When the Animal Birth Control programme is being done on a daily basis, why is that we find an increasing number of stray puppies on the roads? Why are the veterinary officials put on other duties like elections when more dog bite cases are being registered regularly," Mr Sambi Reddy asked.
“At night, because of the increasing dog menace, people are scared to walk even 200 metres, from the bus stop to their home. How is it that in spite of the high spending the population of dogs in the city is increasing,” he asked.
The number of dog bite cases reported at the Institute of Preventive medicine for 2014- 15 was 40,205.
Asked about the information, a veterinary wing official said the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation was taking care to check whether the vaccination had been working properly. Blood samples were being taken for the purpose. “The Rs 5,000 includes the doctor’s fee, fee of the catchers, medicine and blood samples,” he said.
Regarding the increasing number of dogs, he said many stray dogs were migrating from the outskirts into the city. These had not gone through the ABC programme. “Apart from the GHMC, other organisations are also conducting the ABC programme,” he said.
Download the all new Deccan Chronicle app for Android and iOS to stay up-to-date with latest headlines and news stories in politics, entertainment, sports, technology, business and much more from India and around the world.
