AHMEDABAD: In December 2010, the civic body’s first stray dog census pegged the population at 2.16 lakh. The municipal commissioner at the time, I P Gautam, told a packed press conference of a plan to end the stray dog menace in 10 years.
We are well past that deadline and Ahmedabad city still has 1.49 lakh stray dogs. Of them, 35,000 had not been sterilized, according to a 2019 estimate.
The AMC has spent Rs 17 crore for sterilizing stray dogs since 2002.
A back of the envelope calculation reveals that today a stray dog lurks behind every 45 Amdavadis. In 2010, there was a stray dog for every 28 Amdavadis and one could find a stray every 25 metres. “In the absence of sterilization during Covid in 2020, we estimate the dog population has increased by roughly 40%,” said a senior AMC official. “That means an additional population of 14,000 pups. We will have to re-strategize.”
However, these numbers do not account for strays in the newly merged areas such as Ambli and Bopal. The official also admitted that internally the AMC had set a target of 2023 to complete the sterilization effort, but now that does not seem an easily achievable target.
Officials said that the sterilization drive has hit several roadblocks since 2002. For instance, of the 2.5 lakh dogs sterilized, almost 1.23 lakh were dealt with between 2013 and 2017 alone. In 2007 and 2008, only 218 and 800 dogs were sterilized. “When the drive flagged, there was enough room for the dogs to multiply unchecked,” said a senior AMC official.
Ahmedabad has a human population of almost 60 lakh, just one-third of Delhi’s, but it hosts 1.49 lakh stray dogs.
An officer said that recently the AMC’s standing committee had appointed four agencies for the sterilization programme and has increased the remuneration from Rs 900 to Rs 930 per dog. Also, because new areas have been added to the municipal limits, the AMC has increased its budget from Rs 2.5 crore to Rs 4.5 crore so that the programme can be taken up effectively.
The officials said that dumping sites and construction sites are becoming breeding grounds for stray dogs.
