Chennai: The Greater Chennai corporation and animal welfare group, People for Animals (PFA), have been indulging in verbal mudslinging and pointing fingers at each other for alleged irregularities in the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme.
Following the reported death of four dogs at the ABC centre in Lloyds Colony on Friday, local body officials said that NGOs were “intentionally” bringing disrepute to its neutering and spaying procedures. On its part, the PFA claimed that the corporation had defaulted on paying them their dues for helping out with the ABC.
The war of words has intensified speculation on the efficiency of ABC after the local body decided to take over the work from Blue Cross of India, Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and PFA last month. “PFA had not been saving evidence for the procedures conducted by them. Only if they produce the organs removed during the ABC can we pay them for it. They claim to conduct ABC on 30 dogs a day, which is an impossible number,” said an official.
PFA’s co-founder Dr Shiranee Pereira said that the corporation’s own veterinarian had to certify the number of dogs brought to the centre in Basin Bridge and that a monthly report, attested by the veterinarian, was forwarded to the Ripon Buildings.
“How can we supposedly be cheating under their own noses?” she asked.
Shiranee added that the corporation owed her company between Rs 40-50 lakh.
Corporation officials said that there was no chance of their veterinarian being physically present everyday at the centre.
“Since we are not responsible for relocation of dogs post surgery, we have no idea exactly how many they have conducted the surgery on,” said an official.
Animal welfare officer with the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) F.M. Jerold said that the situation exposed the shabby record keeping of the local body. “But there is also truth to the corporation’s claims that the NGOs are in it for the money. Animal welfare is only the pickle to the actual food which is money,” he noted.
PFA, whose chairperson is Union minister for women and child development Maneka Gandhi, maintained that it has adhered to the corporation’s ruling when it made saving up organs as proof, in November 2014, for payments to be sanctioned a mandatory provision.
“But the veterinary officer would never come to inspect. The dues are to be settled every fortnight according to ABC rules. The veterinary officer had even told us that he will only come if the AWBI tells him to, which I found ridiculous,” Pereira said.
“You can’t save up large quantities of organs in formalin, which is a carcinogenic substance, for one year because the veterinary officer finds it convenient to come visit annually,” she added. “Lies,” is how a senior official responded to Pereira’s claims. “If these so-called NGOs had been doing their jobs correctly, then the city’s stray dog population would have gone down,” the official remarked.
