MARGAO
The government is bracing up to embark on a massive exercise to round up strays in and around schools, hospitals, bus stand and railway station and house them in dog shelters as per the recent Supreme Court order.
In fact, Animal Husbandry Minister Nilkanth Harlankar said the government will not face any land issues to set up shelters, saying the Animal Husbandry Department has adequate space to set up dog shelters to house dogs rounded up from in and around schools, hospital, and the bus stands and railway stations.
Speaking to the media on the recent order passed by the Apex Court on stray dogs, the Minister said that the Chief Secretary is working out a plan of action how to go about the SC order. “In its latest order, the Supreme Court has directed the states to round up the strays from schools, hospitals, bus stands and railway station and sterilise them and set them up in shelters. The Chief Secretary is responsible to implement the order. The modalities are being worked out to implement the order in both letter and spirit,” he said.
When the media sought to know whether the government has land at its disposal to set up dog shelters as per the Supreme Court order, the Minister shot back “there is no problem regarding land. We have adequate land with us and at the Animal Husbandry hospitals. The process of identifying 4-5 dog shelters will commence soon. There will be no problem as far as space to set up the dog shelters.”
The Minister said the government is in the process of finalising the guidelines how to go about the work on the Supreme Court order.
Earlier, inaugurating the state-of-the-art ground-plus-three storeyed Animal Husbandry hospital at Sonsodo in Raia village, the Minister said the government has come out with schemes to facilitate the panchayat and municipal bodies to tackle the issue of stray cattle to the gaushalas. He, however, said the local bodies should ink the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the gaushalas. “The government is providing 100 per cent subsidy for the hydraulic vehicles for towing of the animals,” he said.
As far as stray dogs is concerned, the Minister stressed on the need for sterilisation of dogs under the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme. “To resolve the stray dog issue, the NGO and doctor should take steps to sterilise the stray dogs. The NGOs should come forward to take up the ABC programme. The government would offer all out support,” he said.
On the new Veterinary hospital, Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco said the state-of-the-art hospital will cater to the requirements of farmers and citizens in general from across South Goa. “The new hospital is equipped with OTs, X-ray machines and other facilities. The office of Deputy Director will be housed in the building,” he said.
