MC Initiates Sterilization Program for Urban Street Dogs in Patiala City

The Municipal Corporation started sterilizing street dogs in Patiala City after a gap of over 1.5 years. The previous tender of sterilization lapsed in January 2022. The tender was shortlisted to the lowest bidder in November 2022. However, MC faced issues regarding permissions from the Animal Welfare Board of India.

The district has registered a total of 8529 cases of dog bites in the first six months of the year from January to June. As many as 13023 cases of dog bites were registered in 2022. Officials informed me that the municipal councils in Patiala are still to begin with the dog sterilization process.

Aaditya Uppal, MC Commissioner, stated that the MC has allocated the tender for this purpose for two years. He also mentioned that an average of 15 dogs will be sterilized and vaccinated on a daily basis during this process. The dog catcher will bring the street dogs to the animal birth control center in the city, where the dogs will provide post-treatment care. They will then drop them to their original place.

Manisha Rana, Joint Commissioner, stated that the MC will conduct a survey about the total number of street dogs.