TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: The presence of Mission Rabies team has certainly come as a big relief for local NGOs tackling the stray dog menace in the commercial capital of Margao.
Additional teams of doctors, dog catchers, besides vans have gone a long way to help local activists to carry out the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme with ease. But, is the changing scenario a reason for the Margao Municipal Council to delay payment to the local NGO, South Goa Welfare Trust for Animals, is a question doing the rounds in the Margao Municipal corridor with the Civic body defaulting in payments to the NGO in recent times.
Strange it may seem but it is true that the Margao Civic body has not made payments to the NGO for the last five months, since November last year for reasons best know to the City Fathers and officials.
Sandra Fernandes, co-ordinator, told Herald that she has been repeatedly making the rounds of the Civic body since November with the hope of receiving the payments. “They have withheld the payments under one pretext or other in the last five months. How are we to carrying out the ABC programme without the money coming from the Civic body?” she asked.
Replying to a question, Sandra, however, said the presence of the Mission Rabies team in Margao has helped the local animal lovers to tackle the situation head on. “For the moment, we are catching 100 dogs a day as against a couple of dogs before the Mission Rabies team. Things have improved a lot with the arrival of the Mission Rabies team,” she said. She hoped that the Civic body realises the gravity of the situation.
Meanwhile, a victim who was bitten by a suspected rabid dog at Aquem-Baixio was brought for treatment at the Hospicio on Sunday evening. The rabid dog had attacked the victim on his face, while a child was bitten on his head by the same dog.
porvorim correspondent adds: ‘Mission Rabies’ Project Co-coordinator Andy Gibson said his association is on a drive to conduct sterilization of stray dogs to curb rabies in the State.
He was speaking at a programme organized by ‘Mission Rabies’ in the Pilerne Industrial Estate to observe World Veterinary Day.
“During the last four weeks, we have sterilized 2,129 stray dogs in Goa, which includes stray dogs in Margao (1220), Pernem (183), Mapusa (173) Porvorim (116) and other parts of north Goa,” said Gibson.
Health Secretary Anil Agarwal admitted that the State government did not have exact figure of dog bites and rabies cases. Dr Murugan Appupillai and Mission Rabies Western Regional Manager Dr Astrid Almeida also spoke.
