Months after inauguration, Solan centre starts sterilising stray dogs

Nearly five months after an Animal Birth Control Centre was inaugurated, the facility has finally become operational at the Solan Municipal Corporation. A private agency has been hired for the purpose.

In a much-needed relief to Solan residents, 17 dogs will be sterilised in the first five days. “The MC will pay Rs 939 per dog to the agency, which will catch dogs, provide food and then drop the sterilised animal at the same spot after veterinary staff sterilises it,” said Mayor Usha Sharma.

She added that the agency has been asked to initially concentrate on hotspots, including areas around educational institutions, hospitals and main markets, where dogs are found in a large number. The agency has been assigned the task initially for a year and the contract can be extended for another year.

“Constructed at a cost of Rs 44.99 lakh, the 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 17 cages, measuring 180 sq cm each, designated for pre- and post-operative care. The number of cages will be expanded further to handle more dogs at one go,” the Mayor said.

Veterinary doctors and nurses from the Animal Husbandry Department will conduct the sterilisation procedures on the dogs. The centre, which was established near Thodo Ground to control the population of stray dogs through sterilisation and vaccination, will provide the much-needed respite to residents from the increasing canine population.

Stray dogs have become ferocious and often attacked 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.

The initiative to set up the centre 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.