MARGAO: Chairperson of the Margao Municipal Council Damodar Shirodkar announced that the process for renewing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the agency responsible for the animal birth control (ABC) programme and dog shelter is underway. He assured that all issues related to the welfare of strays around Margao will be resolved soon.
Shirodkar informed reporters that instructions were given to the staff a month ago to prepare a new draft for the MoU’s renewal. The aim is to address the concerns and finalise the conditions stated in the memorandum.
The recent threat by a group of frustrated Margao citizens to leave newborn stray puppies at the Municipal Council’s doorstep has highlighted the need for funds to support the animal birth control programme and the dog shelter, where wounded strays are treated and housed. The Shadow Council for Margao, along with the NGO managing the dog shelter at Sonsoddo, claimed that the council has not settled its dues for nearly three years.
Responding to these concerns, the Chairperson acknowledged the issues surrounding the dog shelter and emphasized the MMC’s seriousness in addressing them. The draft copy of the MoU is yet to be reviewed by the Chief Officer from a legal standpoint, he added.
Animal lovers such as Neville Marchon, Rati Pai Angle, and Sandra Fernandes, the manager of the dog shelter, said they have been personally supporting the shelter by providing rice, medicines, and financial contributions, to pay staff salaries and clear veterinarian bills. They believe that such support should not be expected as a regular occurrence, as the government has allocated funds for this purpose. The lack of a dedicated MMC vehicle to transport wounded and pre-operative animals to the shelter has also attracted criticism from animal activists in the commercial town.
‘MMC in process of renewing MoU for ABC programme, dog shelter upkeep’
