Dog shelter inadequate to handle dog menace in Margao
HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, APRIL 13
A month after its commissioning with much fanfare, the dog shelter put in place by the Margao Municipal Council is literally struggling to keep pace with the requirements in the absence of facilities and adequate manpower.
The dog shelter has a capacity to accommodate 20 stray and ailing dogs at one time, but the magnitude of the dog menace in the Commercial Capital has come to haunt the Civic authorities. In fact, dog catching work has been affected as the shelter has turned out too small to accommodate all the strays.
If sources are to be believed, the shelter is faced with space constraints as it cannot freely carry out operations since the shelter has the provision to accommodate only 20 dogs at a time.
The drainage facility at the shelter is not problem worrying the NGO, South Goa Animal Welfare Trust managing the shelter. Foul odour has enveloped the shelter due to water accumulation in the premises in the absence of proper drainage. The contractor and the Civic body has been told to modify the design of the structure, but the changes are yet to come till date.
Says Shelter Co-ordinator, Sandra Fernandes: “The NGO has so far sterilized 20 dogs since the shelter was commissioned last month. The work is going on”.
Admitting that the NGO was mandated to sterilize 100 dogs a month as per the Memorandum of Understanding with the Margao Civic body, she said the NGO is all ready to implement their part of the agreement, but the small size of the shelter has hampered the operations. “After undergoing the operation, the dogs are required to be kept at the shelter for at least one week. Injured dogs are also being given shelter in the premises”, she added.
When contacted, MMC Chairperson Savio Coutinho said the Civic body did not release the payments of Rs 11,000 due to delay in receiving the details from the NGO. “I admit that the NGO may not be able to carry out 100 operations a month due to the size of the shelter. But, still attempts need to be made to reach the target”, he said, but exuded confidence that the small beginning made by the Civic body would reap rich dividends in the days ahead.
The NGO says that the target to sterilize 100 dogs can be achieved in the long run, but only after the facilities are put in place at the shelter.
The dog menace has been in the news in recent times after small children were mauled by stray dogs in the Borda area of the city last week. Rough estimates has put the stray dog population to a whopping 5000-mark.
