Ahmedabad, Oct 26 (IANS): In the wake of tragic death of Parag Desai (50), executive director at Wagh Bakri Group, due to a stray dog attack near his Bopal residence, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has intensified its efforts to manage the stray dog population.

The Cattle Control and Nuisance Department (CCND) of the AMC is heading an expanded stray dog sterilisation campaign, and the work began on October 25, officials shared.

This initiative comes as the AMC identified approximately 200 stray dogs on the stretch from Bopal to Ghuma. In the light of this, around 40 dogs have already been captured for sterilisation. To bolster this effort, the AMC has issued a tender worth Rs 8 crore aimed at enhancing collaboration with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in this sterilisation drive.

A historical overview of the sterilisation campaign reveals a substantial investment, with 98,333 dogs sterilised from 2020 to 2023 at a total cost of Rs 9.11 crore. The current year has seen the sterilisation of 25,993 dogs, incurring expenses of Rs 2.53 crore within a span of 10 months.

Currently, four NGOs are in partnership with the AMC for this sterilisation mission. The AMC provides a payment of Rs 976.50 for each dog sterilised. The expansion of AMC’s jurisdiction post-2019-20 has brought the estimated stray dog population to around 3.75 lakh, but records indicate that only 1.5 lakh dogs have been sterilised so far.

The four NGOs actively involved in this initiative are People For Animals, Gol Foundation, Yash Domestic Research Centre, and Sanskar Education Trust, each responsible for different city zones. While People For Animals operates in the North West and West Zone, Gol Foundation focusses on the South West Zone. The Yash Domestic Research Centre handles the North and East Zone, and Sanskar Education Trust covers the South and Central zones.