NMMC finds plot for dog sterilisation centre

After a frantic search of five years, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has finally found a 9-acre reserve plot to start a sterilisation centre for the stray dogs in the city.

The centre will come up in Turbhe MIDC ( Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation) area. Tenders have been floated by the civic body.

As dog menace continues to rise, 30-32 dog bite cases are reported in the city daily, according to the NNMC. There are reportedly between 30,000 and 35,000 stray dogs in the city. However, due to the lack of space to conduct sterlisation, only around 400 to 500 canines are sterilised every month, out of required 2,500 dogs.

Over the years, objections by local residents and other technical issues prevented a plot from being finalised. The centre earlier operated from near Kopri village in Vashi. Since the Vashi site was in a dilapidated state, the centre was shifted temporarily to a shed in Turbhe area. The NMMC even looked for areas in Panvel, but it did not meet success even there.

“The NMMC had earlier planned to construct the centre under Kopri flyover, however, the local residents opposed it. There was similar opposition in Sanpada, where the civic body had identified another plot. Residents again opposed it near Amra Marg in CBD Belapur,” Vaibhav Jhunjare, an NMMC veterinary officer, said.The sterilisation contract at present has been given by the NMMC to the NGO In Defence of Animals. “The proposed centre will enable good care of the dogs and also ensure that their population is kept in check,” Jhunjare said. The sterilisation contract at present has been given by the NMMC to the NGO In Defence of Animals.