MARGAO
As incidents of dog bite cases shows a rise, the Margao Municipal Council may have to answer a simple question “ when will the A class Municipal body ink an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with an Non-governmental Organization (NGO) to bring the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme back on the tracks?
For, it will be three years in December that the MoU signed by the MMC had expired on December 31, 2020. Since then, the civic body has seen at least four Municipal Chairpersons and as many Chief Officers presiding over the A Class Civic body, but a MoU has eluded the civic body till date for reasons best known to the City fathers and the Municipal babus.
Take note, without a basic MoU in place, MMC’s ABC programme has gone haywire, though the city-based NGO has been continuing with the programme just for the love of animals.
Indeed, the MMC’s ABC programme has hit a block over delayed payments to the NGO, coupled with the absence of logistics, including the ageing dog catching van, limited number of dog cages, et al.
What has, however, come as a big surprise is the MMC’s delay in inking a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with an NGO to carry forward the ABC programme as per the orders of the High Court. Sources in the know pointed out that the MMC was at liberty to call for bids from prospective NGOs to take forward the ABC programme, but no such attempt was made in the last three years since the MoU with the city-based NGO had expired on December 31, 2020.
Sources in the know informed that the ABC programme was hit by apathy and indifference from the civic body. “The city fathers and officials were always under the impression that since they have been making payments for the NGO, their responsibility ends there. The civic body had never bothered to set up a dog cell nor a dedicated telephone number to facilitate the people to call the people involved in handling he strays”, sources said.
Sources added that the MMC never bothered to increase the number of dog cages sheltering the dogs after their sterilization. "The number of cages has remained the same for the last one decade. There’s no dedicated place earmarked to bury the carcass of the animals”.
Former MMC Chairperson Savio Coutinho has said the MMC’s ABC programme has been hit by apathy and indifference from the civic body.
Incidentally, as the NGO has knocked the doors of the civic body for signing a MoU with the council, a note put up by the municipal administration states that the work done by the organization was not satisfactory, alleging complaints from councillors and public in respect of not attending to stray dogs. “How come the administration suddenly says the work carried out by the NGO was not satisfactory. If there were indeed complaints over the unsatisfactory work executed by the NGO, why did the MMC not rope in a new NGO for the last three years after the MoU with the existing NGO had expired on December 31, 2020”, sources questioned.
What’s interesting to note is that the MMC administration has now pointed out that as per the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, the Animal Welfare Organization has to obtain a “Project Recognition” from the Animal Welfare Board of India. The local authority cannot conduct or organize ABC programme without the certificate of project recognition from the Animal Welfare Board of India, the MMC note added.
Only time will tell whether this provision under the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 will rule out the existing NGO from continuing with the ABC programme, but the MMC has a task cut out “ whether the civic body would ink an new MoU with an NGO to take forward the ACB programme before December 31, 2023 or earn a dubious distinction of not having a MoU in place for three long years.
