Khandwa: A day after a symbolic protest over Khandwa’s stray dog menace, the Municipal Corporation’s sterilisation programme has come under scrutiny, with questions being raised over its implementation and transparency.
The civic body has defended the process, saying it is being carried out according to prescribed rules, while health officials have cited the number of dog bite cases treated at the district hospital as another aspect of the issue.
Municipal Corporation Leader of Opposition Deepak Rathore on Wednesday staged the protest at the District Collector’s public grievance hearing. He arrived with a young man dressed in a dog costume and questioned the effectiveness of the Corporation’s stray dog control measures, alleging irregularities in sterilisation work.
A video of the protest circulated on social media and drew reactions from dog bite victims and animal lovers. District Collector Rishav Gupta criticised the manner of the protest, saying such stunts for publicity were inappropriate.
Municipal Commissioner Priyanka Rajawat later explained the Corporation’s position. Speaking to IANS on Thursday, she rejected allegations of irregularities and said sterilisation was being carried out at the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Centre through an agency selected under the prescribed tender process.
“The allegations are completely baseless because the sterilisation work is carried out at the ABC Centre. The organisation operating the centre is selected through an online tender process,” Rajawat said.
She added that only organisations recognised by the Animal Welfare Board of India are eligible to participate in the tender process and the contract is awarded to the eligible agency quoting the lowest rate.
According to Corporation records, 9,391 dogs have been sterilised since the centre became operational in 2022. The figures are 1,686 in 2022, 440 in 2023, 3,651 in 2024, 2,387 in 2025 and 1,623 so far in 2026.
The Corporation said its dog squad catches animals from different parts of the city and brings them to the ABC Centre. Veterinarians conduct the sterilisation procedures and the animals are kept under post operative care for about four days. An identification mark is placed on the ear before the dogs are released.
District Rabies Control Officer Yogesh Sharma said the issue also had a public health dimension. He told IANS that 244 dog bite cases were treated at the District Hospital last month.
On the other hand, Rathore defended his protest and said the system should be changed if irregularities were established.
“If corruption is taking place in the name of dogs, concrete action should be taken. The system under which these sterilisation procedures are being carried out should be changed so that neither the dogs nor humans face any problems,” he said.
(IANS)
