All the urban local bodies (ULBs) of the State have been asked to make necessary provision of food for the stray animals during the lockdown period. Housing and Urban Development Principal Secretary G Mathi Vathanan has written to all Municipal Commissioners and Executive Officers of municipalities and NACs in this regard.
He said thousands of stray animals would have a hard time for finding food leading to starvation and other consequential issues during the lockdown.
So, to help the animals, the ULBs should ensue food for them by meeting the expenditure out of their available funds or subject to recoupment from the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC)/Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF).
In this drive, the ULBs may co-opt and partner with organisations working for animal welfare. While Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation has been allowed a unit cost-per-day (UCPD) of `20,000, Cuttack, Rourkela, Sambalpur and Berhampur Muncipal Corporations are allowed `10,000. All municipalities’ UCPD is `5,000 each and that for Notified Area Councils (NACs) is `2,000 each.