Team Herald
PORVORIM: Former Revenue Minister Rohan Khaunte has labelled some animal welfare organisations as ‘mafias’ hinting at their deliberate carelessness towards tackling the stray dogs menace. Demanding a State Policy for tackling the menace, Khaunte said he had proposed setting up an animal shelter on the Sucorro comunidade land. “It would not only have sterilisation of the animals but also a proper veterinary to look after them. It is a model which can be replicated in other parts of the State,” he added.
The Porvorim legislator cited instances wherein children and senior citizens are often targeted by stray dogs. He referred to one incident wherein a stray dog attacked a child and another, where senior citizens carry sticks when they go out for their morning/evening walks.
“We need a State Policy. The issue is currently rested with the NGO. There has to be a scheme or policy wherein any dog lover could come and assist in terms of settling this menace. Else we will continue to be dependents on them (NGOs) and how many of them are accountable, we don’t know,” he stated.
“Cattle are still on the roads. There is a stray cattle scheme but it cannot be implemented because whenever we call (the NGO concerned), they tell us the machinery is not available,” he further said, indirectly accusing some of these organisations for not carrying out their duties diligently.
Some of the other legislators also pointed out to vehicular accidents caused due to stray cattle menace on the roads. Some of them also demanded that Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services support the village panchayats to curb the menace of stray cattle. BJP MLAs Subhash Shirodkar and Clafasio Dias, and NCP MLA Churchill Alemao demanded that the govt tackles the issue at the earliest, while Independent MLA Prasad Gaonkar said that he is ready to have a cattle pond for stray cattles from South Goa in Sanguem.
