PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
The Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) is planning to purchase an animal ambulance with financial support from Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds and MLA local area development funds while also preparing to introduce radio frequency identification (RFID) tagging of stray dogs in the city.
The move comes a day after the civic body reviewed arrangements for animal welfare and stray animal management. The senior municipal veterinary officer Dr Varun Aggarwal said that the corporation will approach institutions to seek CSR support for procuring an animal ambulance. The corporation will also contact MLAs and other major institutions to explore financial assistance for the vehicle, he said. Aggarwal said that no municipal corporation in Uttarakhand currently has an animal ambulance, but efforts were being made to arrange one for Dehradun. The vehicle is expected to strengthen the civic body’s ability to respond to cases involving injured or distressed animals.
On RFID tagging, Aggarwal said that no stray dogs in the city have been tagged so far. The system will be introduced in coordination with the Animal Husbandry department and the Animal Birth Control (ABC) agencies working with the corporation. He said that the civic body would initiate the quotation or tender process for procuring RFID tags. The tagging system will also be incorporated into the new ABC tender, as the existing agency’s contract is nearing completion. “The existing ABC agency’s tender is nearing completion. RFID tagging will also be included in the new tender so that the system can be implemented along with the ABC work,” he said. REID tags will be used to identify dogs. Each dog will be assigned a unique ID, which can be scanned to access details such as registration, owner information, vaccination and sterilised records.
Meanwhile, the MCD has sterilised and vaccinated 1,211 stray dogs between April 1 and August 31. During the same period, the civic body collected Rs 5,02,650 in dog registration fees. Aggarwal said that the proposed RFID system would be implemented alongside the corporation’s ongoing ABC, linking identification of stray dogs with sterilisation and vaccination efforts.
