The Calcutta Municipal Corporation has tied up with the state animal husbandry department to control the population of stray dogs in the city.

Following numerous complaints from various councillors about the “incapability” of the NGOs entrusted with the task of sterilising and controlling the dog population in the city, mayoral council member (health) Subodh De called a meeting with all the organisations last Wednesday.

De said the department has decided to involve the animal husbandry department to speed up the vaccinating process.

“We need more sterilisation camps in different pockets of the city. We need more manpower and infrastructure to control the stray dog menace and, therefore, we have asked the animal husbandry department for technical manpower support,” De said after the meeting.

A decade ago, the civic body had enlisted six NGOs —Calcutta Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, People for Animals, Love-N-Care for Animals, Mother of Stray Dogs and Cats, Friends of Dogs and Madhya Kolkata Animal Welfare Society — to carry out the sterilisation drive in the city.

Of the six, only two organisations, People for Animals and Love-N-Care for Animals, are still active in the drive.

According to the civic dog squad (see box), there are around 80,000 stray dogs in the city. The total number of dogs sterilised every year is around 4,000 to 5,000.

The number is quite less in comparison to the number of puppies born each year.

For sterilising each dog, the Animal Welfare Board of India, under the ministry of environment and forests, pays up to Rs 370 and the NGOs also get extra funds.

Last week, CPM councillor Goutam Das had lodged a complaint with mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya, that the NGOs were not taking proper steps while vaccinating the dogs.

He elaborated that the dogs are released soon after performing the sterilisation operation. As a result, the dogs are falling ill due to infection and incomplete medication.

Chief municipal health officer Deb Dwaipayan Chattopadhyay said at least 45 councillors have complained about the dog menace and asked for immediate steps.

Before 1995, the civic dog squad used to exterminate stray dogs. But following the intervention of Maneka Gandhi, sterilisation of dogs has been adopted as a humane option to control the stray dog population.