MARGAO
The next time you come across a dog abandoned in the neighbourhood and you intend to drop the canine to the Sonsodo dog shelter in the commercial capital, chances are that you may end up making the necessary transport arrangements or procuring the cages from the shelter for safe transportation.
For, the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme in the city has almost collapsed for want of logistics, manpower and support from the Margao Municipal Council (MMC). All the animal lovers have in their possession right now are the 20 cages at Sonsodo to house the dogs.
Otherwise, consider this. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) inked by the MMC with the Goa Animal Welfare Trust for Animals expired on December 31, 2020. It’s now two and a half years since the MoU between the MMC and the NGO had expired, but neither a new MoU has been inked by the two parties, nor has the civic body floated a fresh tender to rope in a new NGO to handle and manage the ABC programme on behalf of the council.
The MMC dog-catching van has been troubling the NGO with frequent breakdowns. While the MMC repaired the van after the vehicle was stranded on the road couple of months ago, the NGO has not availed the van facility for want of a driver over the non-payment of money by the MMC. The van is set to complete 15 years in the next couple of months and it isn’t clear whether the MMC will order a new van to support the ABC programme.
The four dog catchers at the disposal of the animal lovers had gone to their native states after the NGO found it increasingly difficult to pay their wages at the rate of Rs 12,000 per month, again for want of payments by the MMC.
A member of the NGO told The Goan that for two long years, they had been handling the ABC programme for the MMC in the commercial capital, but the civic body is yet to make the necessary payments to date.
“We could not stop the ABC programme even though the MMC has failed to clear our payments since January 1, 2021. But, we continued with our activity by borrowing funds from people and with the help of well-wishers hoping that things will change for the better, but in vain.
“The four dog catchers and driver were being paid at the rate of Rs 12,000 per month. Since we would not make the payments any longer, they had gone to their native states. The entire programme has been adversely affected,” the member informed.
Saying that the NGO would have stopped the ABC programme in the city long ago for want of support from the MMC, the member pointed out that they are continuing in the interest of the abandoned and injured dogs housed at the shelter.
“Who will take care of these abandoned and injured dogs? We receive calls in respect of dogs injured in accidents. Since we run short of logistics, we request the people to drop the injured canines at the dog shelter,” the member added.
Questions are being raised why the MMC did not float a fresh tender inviting bids to rope in a new agency to handle the programme after the MoU expired on December 31, 2020, as a result of which neither the civic body has appointed a new agency nor has cleared the payments of the NGO for the last two and a half years.
Sources pointed out that as many as three chairpersons and as many chief officers have presided over the affairs of the MMC since January 1, 2021, to date, but a solution to the stray dog issue has eluded the civic body. This assumes significance and comes against the backdrop of the fact that the stray dog population has been on the rise in Margao in particular and Salcete in general over recent years.
