Pushed to the extreme, one of the only two Animal Birth Control (ABC) centres in Bengaluru has initiated process to relocate.
On Friday, it was the fifth day since the Animal Husbandry Department snapped the power supply to the ABC centre run by an NGO Sarvodaya Sevabhavi Samstha. The centre, that has been functioning out of a building in Queens Road since the past five years, was asked to shift to a new shelter recently, so that the old clinics of the Animal Husbandry Department could function out of the building.
Centre at loggerheads with Animal Husbandry department
The problems began when the BBMP decided to demolish the century-old building on Queens Road, that houses the Government Veterinary Hospital, so that a multi-specialty veterinary hospital can be built in its place.
With the BBMP estimating that the construction would take at least 11 months to complete, the veterinary hospital is required to function out of the building that now houses the ABC centre.
Last week, the ABC centre was served an eviction notice, something that the Animal Husbandry department claimed it had issued long ago. The centre was asked to be relocated to Jakkur.
However, within two days of the centre receiving the notice, the animal husnadry department snapped the power supply.
Students and volunteers take part in candle light vigil to save trees facing axes trees in the view of reconstruction
of Government Veterinary Hospital on Queen's road in Bengaluru on Wednesday/ PTI Photo
Dr Akshay, senior veterinarian and a trustee of the NGO told TNM that the department was trying to push them to the extreme, by forcing them to evict.
"We are not asking for more, but are demanding that the new place be well-equipped. Contrary to the facilities at the Queens Road centre, there are no individual kennels at the new place for dogs that have undergone surgery can be housed. Not only this, we have been able to help out when dog bite cases comes up in the city, but with us having to relocate to Jakkur, it is going to be extremely difficult for us to get access to other parts of the city to attend to emergency cases," Dr Akshay explained.
At the centre that has 26 ground staffs, 5 admin staff and 5 doctors, along with animal birth control procedure, injured dogs are also provided treatment. However, the treatment has been stopped since Monday. With the power supply abruptly cut, an ailing dog that was undergoing treatment at the centre, succumbed to its injuries on Thursday.
"The dog had been admitted last Wednesday because of spine injury and we had been giving infrared therapy to ease its pain. The pain resulting a spine injury is extreme and the infrared therapy is used to pacify it. However, the dog died yesterday, after we were unable to give the therapy for the past three days because of the outage. We have had to even treat many dogs with the help of torch-light," Dr Akshay says.
While joint commissioner, (health) Sarfaraz Khan, assured in a meeting that the power will be restored soon, the centre initiated relocation process after no action was taken.
"We are only asking the animal husbandry department for some time to shift, since the new place do not even have a roof. But they are not paying heed to our requests. We do not even know whether we will be allowed to come back after the new hospital comes up. We have demanded that they give us in writing that the centre will be shifted here later," Dr Akshay said.
The doctor said that the new centre will only function as a birth control centre and will not treat dogs or house stray dogs as before.
"When the public complains that a certain street dog is rabid, we catch the dog and keep it in a kennel for 10 days. If it is rabid, the dog will die by then, but if it is not, then we let it off after 10 days. But now, we can no longer perform such services," the doctor said.
Dr Nagendra, Deputy Director of Animal Husbandry department was unavailable for comment. However, he told Deccan Chronicle on the day the power supply was cut:
"Why do dogs need electricity? Sarvodaya is not complying with our orders. We are razing the building to build the specialty hospital and we will train our doctors to carry out the ABC work within a year. We had asked them to vacate six months ago, but they are still encroaching and extending the deadline.”