Dog sterilisation centre in Solan fails to take off

Nearly two months after being inaugurated by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, an Animal Birth Control (ABC) Centre here is yet to become functional.

The centre, which was established near Thodo Ground to control the population of stray dog through sterilisation and vaccination by the Municipal Corporation, was supposed to provide respite to residents from the increasing canine population.

Of late, the stray dogs had become ferocious and had started attacking the residents. Twenty-two persons were bitten by stray dogs in two days in July, particularly in the busy Mall Road area. A total of 174 cases of dog bite were reported at the Regional Hospital in July. Constructed at a cost of Rs 44.99 lakh, the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Centre comprises a fully equipped operation theatre, kennels, kitchen and recovery units. An additional Rs 12.57 lakh was spent on installing modern veterinary equipment. The facility includes a 220 sq metre operation theatre and 20 cages measuring 180 sq cm each, designated for pre- and post-operative care.

Veterinary doctors and nurses from the Animal Husbandry Department will conduct the sterilisation procedures once all facilities are in place.

When asked, MC Commissioner Ekta Kapta said, “Work to construct the post-operative care facility is in progress. To curb the population of dogs, sterilisation operations will start soon with the assistance of the staff of the Animal Husbandry Department. A campaign to sterilise 100 dogs would be launched soon and stray animals would be shifted to cow sanctuaries subject to availability of space.”

The initiative was included in the MC’s annual budget in response to an alarming increase in dog bite cases. In 2024 alone, 12,377 incidents of dog bite were reported, compared to 11,690 in 2023 and 10,457 in 2022.

Officials stressed that sterilisation is the only lawful and effective method to control the stray dog population, as culling is banned. Stray dogs often scavenge for food in open waste bins and have occasionally attacked vulnerable sections of society such as children, women and elderly.