BENGALURU
As per the Supreme Court’s directive, the civic authorities in Bengaluru have started preparations to relocate stray dogs to shelters, and a detailed cost plan is now in place.
As per the Supreme Court order, the city municipalities have decided to shift stray dogs to shelters. Agencies under the Greater Bengaluru Authority have fixed a monthly maintenance cost of Rs 3,035 per dog. They have now started inviting tenders from non-government organisations and private agencies.
Under the scheme, selected agencies will be responsible for catching, vaccinating and relocating stray dogs to designated shelters. Once relocated, the dogs will be fed twice a day and provided with basic medical care. The cost estimate includes food, staff salaries, veterinary care, sanitation and administrative costs, officials said.
According to official figures, there are about 2.79 lakh stray dogs in the Greater Bengaluru Authority. As per the cost estimate prepared by the authorities, it costs about Rs 3.33 lakh per month to maintain 100 stray dogs. This includes Rs1.50 lakh for food, Rs 1.18 lakh for salaries of supervisors and staff, Rs10,000 each for medical treatment and administrative expenses, and about Rs 30,000 for catching and transporting the dogs.
Every day, it costs Rs 111 per dog. Officials said that each dog will be given about 600 grams of food per day.
The proposed diet consists of about 150 grams of chicken meat and 100 grams of vegetables. The daily food cost is estimated at Rs 50 per dog.
Each shelter unit will have a team of five staff members, including one para-veterinarian and four assistants, to ensure feeding, health monitoring and cleanliness.
Currently, there are only eight animal birth control centers operating in the Greater Bengaluru Authority, which are not full-fledged shelters. Officials have admitted that there are not enough permanent shelters to accommodate such a large number of stray dogs. As a result, officials are considering the construction of new shelter facilities to support the relocation project.