Thiruvananthapuram: The ABC programme is being implemented intensively says Health Standing Chariperson K Sreekumar and adds that the average number of ABC surgeries has increased from 200 a month, to 500. However councillors in the opposition say that the stray dog menace has not been controlled and there have not been as many ABC surgeries as is claimed.
In Chalai, for example, few go for morning walks because of stray dogs, according to BJP councillor S K P Ramesh. “Some dogs were snared and sterilized. But this has hardly made any difference. The stray dog menace is acute as a lot of waste is generated in Chalai and the spaces here are congested,” he says.
BJP councillor of Jagathy Sheeja Madhu alleges that not even one stray dog underwent ABC in her ward, ever since the plan to intensify ABC was announced. R Suresh, BJP councillor of Fort, also said that there had not been intensive action. “If there are 50 strays, they would not have caught more than 3,” he said.
ABC experts say that before the programme was implemented, a survey to ascertain the number of strays should be conducted. Based on this, the target for the number of ABCs every month should be calculated.
UDF councillor Stephy K George says that the Corporation has been sending dog catchers whenever there was a problem. Two days ago, the public had complained at Lakshmi Nagar, and the ABC squad helped, she said. However, she says that the number of dogs has been increasing in her ward. This pointed to the ineffective pace of doing ABC surgeries.
An ABC expert had said that if sterilizations did not happen at the rate which they should, the programme would fail.
LDF’s Bindu Sreekumar says that there has been some respite over the past few days. She says that around 20 dogs underwent ABC in her ward.
