In Belagavi city, there are currently 22,000 stray dogs, with only 4,831 having undergone sterilization surgery over the past two years, according to Health Officer Dr. Sanjeev Nandre. In response to the growing problem, Mayor Savita Kamble has ordered that a tender be issued within the next 15 days to award a new contract for the sterilization surgeries. Additionally, she instructed that the sterilization operations be moved from Srinagar and called for the establishment of a dedicated team to capture stray dogs and animals.
The issue of stray dogs was brought up during a general meeting by independent corporator Azim Patvegar, leading to a heated discussion among corporators from both ruling and opposition groups. The government has issued an order to compensate those injured or killed in attacks by stray dogs, raising concerns from the MLA Asif Sait that the Municipal Corporation’s funds might be drained by such payouts if the situation persists.
Corporator Lakshmi Rathod reported an increase in stray dogs at the Goshala in Srinagar, prompting ruling group corporators to demand that her complaint be addressed urgently. Corporators Shankar Patil and Ravi Salunke echoed the need for serious attention to the city’s stray animal problem, resulting in the mayor’s order to appoint a new contractor for the sterilization surgeries.
Raju Sait highlighted the urgency of the situation, emphasizing the need to expedite the sterilization process due to the high number of stray dogs. Corporators also sought detailed information on the number of surgeries performed daily and monthly. However, inconsistencies in the data provided by Dr. Nandre sparked further anger among the corporators, intensifying the discussion on this pressing issue.