Hyderabad: Special Chief Secretary to the Government Arvind Kumar has instructed officials to pay special attention to controlling the stray dog menace within the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and other municipalities in the state.
In a high-level meeting held at the MA&UD Office, GHMC Zonal Commissioners and Veterinary Officers were directed to create an action plan to prevent the increasing number of stray dogs in the city.
According to GHMC Officials, there are currently 5.50 lakh stray dogs in the GHMC area, which was reduced from 8.50 lakh in 2011 due to sterilization operations. Arvind Kumar emphasized the need to continue sterilization operations and directed officials to provide water storage facilities in localities and colonies.
To prevent waste dumping on the streets, officials were instructed to restrict hotels, restaurants, function halls, chicken centres, and mutton centres within the GHMC limits. Arvind Kumar also suggested conducting awareness programs in government and private schools to educate students about pet dogs and the importance of controlling their population.
To facilitate registration and complaint reporting, officials were advised to create a mobile app for the registration of pets and complaints related to stray dogs, which can be accessed through My GHMC App No. 040 – 21111111. The officials were also directed to develop a mobile app to identify the number of pet dogs in the city and surrounding municipalities to issue identity cards to registered pet owners.
Officials were advised to work with Slum Development Federations, Town Development Federations, and Resident Colony Welfare Associations within the city limits and neighbouring municipalities to take control measures. Furthermore, they were directed to identify areas with the most registered cases of stray dogs and take immediate action.The meeting was attended by MA&UD Secretary Sudarshan Reddy, GHMC Commissioner Lokesh Kumar, Municipal Administration Director Satyanarayana, GHMC Zonal Commissioners, and Veterinary Officers. (INN)