The BBMP has set a deadline of 3 weeks to complete the identification process.
DH Photo/ B K Janardhan
Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has begun the process of identifying designated spots for feeding stray dogs, which will fall in line with a recent Supreme Court order.
A senior BBMP official says the BBMP has set a deadline of 15-20 days to complete the identification process, “keeping staff availability in mind”.
“We have instructed our staff to begin identifying feeding spots in consultation with feeders and local community representatives,” Vikas Suralkar Kishor, special commissioner (animal husbandry), BBMP, tells Metrolife.
Where the spots will come up
Spaces with minimal footfall, where community dogs can be fed without inconveniencing the public, are being considered. “Vacant lands, areas with drains (of width 2-2.5 ft width) that are covered with slabs and are not part of main footpaths, and areas where dogs are already seen will be looked at,” Kishor explains.
Parks, playgrounds, apartment premises, or even school and college compounds “might also be considered but only when there is no footfall”, he notes. Feedback from the local community, feeders and residential area representatives will be factored in, Kishor adds.
Kishor says: “A feeding spot should be able to accommodate three to five dogs — a space of not more than 3x3 sq ft is needed for this.” He adds that dogs’ territorial behaviour will also be factored in when choosing the locations. “The spots will be chosen based on the areas where the dogs already gather and feed around,” he adds.
Interim guidelines for feeders
In the meantime, the BBMP advises feeders and dog lovers to continue feeding at their current spots, provided the local community agrees to the same. “If a conflict arises, feeders must immediately approach the zonal assistant director. Such areas will be prioritised for identifying feeding spots,” he adds.
Focus on conflict-prone zones
BBMP will prioritise neighbourhoods that have reported disputes over stray feeding. “Though an area of around 800 sq km comes under the BBMP limits, complaints come from only a few neighbourhoods. We get regular complaints from the Bommanahalli zone, while there are barely any complaints from the east and west zones,” Kishor notes.
The order says…
After the August 11 order in which the Supreme Court sought to relocate stray dogs to shelters in the Delhi-NCR region, the Court came out with a new order on August 22. It stated that stray dogs must be sterilised, dewormed, vaccinated, and returned to their original localities. Only dogs with rabies and aggressive dogs should be kept in shelters. It also banned feeding dogs in public spaces, and gave a clear directive on creating designated feeding zones in each municipal ward.