Kerala to take over buildings under Disaster Act to shelter stray dogs

Thiruvananthapuram: In a major move to tackle the stray dog issue plaguing Kerala, the state government has decided to invoke provisions of the Disaster Management Act to take over buildings to set up temporary shelters for these canines.

An order issued by the Local Self-Government Department also says that panchayats and municipalities should identify volunteers from among Kudumbashree workers and Janamaithri police personnel to capture strays, transport them to vaccination centres and take care of them at the shelters.

According to the order, vacant buildings or premises owned by government departments except local bodies could be taken over for arranging temporary shelters under Section 65 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005.

These temporary facilities will be in use until permanent arrangements are made by the local bodies.

In the first phase, strays in 660 hotspots in the state have to be relocated and the government is planning to arrange at least 330 shelters.

Two nearby local bodies can set up a shelter, says the order. A ‘shelter management group’ also has to be constituted to feed and care the dogs, the order adds.

Apart from Kudumbashree and Janamaithri police, volunteers could be roped in from animal welfare bodies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) also, says the government.

Rs 500 to capture a dog
The state government has also issued an order to pay dog-catchers Rs 300 for capturing each dog and Rs 200 to take it to a shelter.

Meanwhile, animal lovers who bring a stray dog to an Animal Birth Control (ABC) centre for vaccination and sterilization will receive Rs 500, says the order.

Awareness campaign
Along with arranging shelters for stray dogs, the local bodies will launch various training programmes for school authorities, students and parents.

These programmes will cover topics such as activities that provoke stray dogs, response to an attack by a dog, first aid in the event of a bite and further measures to be taken.

According to the government order, the respective District Information Officers will conduct awareness drives about these training programmes.

A toll-free number will also be announced.

In addition to all these measures, a 30-day intensive drive will be conducted in October to remove garbage dumped in public places, says the government order.

Services of workers under the employment guarantee scheme would be utilized for this drive, the order adds.