The State Government has directed several selected Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to take the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme with all seriousness and accordingly funds have been placed with the ULBs.
Official sources said that at least Rs 58.56 lakh has been sanctioned to nine major ULBs for taking up ABC programme.
The Housing and Urban Development Department has placed funds with the ULBs and asked to utilise the sanctioned amount for ABC programme exclusively.
Cuttack, Puri, Sambalpur, Balangir, Paradip, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrakh, Baleswar and Baripada Municipalities have been provided funding in this regard. While Puri Municipality has been provided Rs 10 lakh, all other ULBs have been provided Rs 6 lakh each and Bhadrakh Municipality has been sanctioned Rs 6.56 lakh.
Winter season is the breeding time for the dogs.
Stray animals roaming around the Urban Zones have been posing a tough challenge to the ULBs for they are not only a threat to pedestrians, but motorists as well.The strays often throw traffic out of gear as they block the main thoroughfare and arteries and refuse to budge despite relentless honking.
While ABC Programme is continuing since 2010, the DoHUD has been funding the scheme to contain stray dog menace. The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has also been actively taking up the ABC Programme. However, stray dog menace continues to bother the authorities. The BMC is trying hard to go for effective sterilisation, pointed out a senior official.