Chennai to open two more ABC centres to make city rabies-free

Chennai, Dec 29 (BPNS)

With the increase in the number of stray dogs in the city and people complaining on a day-to-day basis of dog bites, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) is planning to open two more Animal Birth Control (ABC) centres in the corporation.  The main idea of the corporation in opening the new ABC centres is to reduce the number of stray dogs from mulitplying and make city rabies free.

The ABC centres are coming up at Meenambakkam and Sholignallur and is supported by Tamil Nadu Urban Finance and Infrastructure Development Corporation (TUFIDCO). The new ABC centre at Meenambakkam will have 14 rooms while the one coming up at Sholingnallur will have 10 rooms.  There will be a veterinary room, dog kennels and operation theatre for dogs at each ABC centre.

Sources in the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) told BPNS that the staff would be appointed in the two new centres under the National Urban Livelihood Movement ( NULM) and veterinarians would be posted on a contract basis. Veterinarians will be posted for a period of one year at a salary of Rs 40,000 per month and the contract period would be for one year.

Presently the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) have three ABC centres at Llyod’s Colony, Kannamapet and Pullianthope.  With the coming up of new centres, the population of stray dogs can be reduced.

Gopalakrishna Manikantan, a social worker in Chennai while speaking to BPNS said, “ The government and corporation must take steps to open more such ABC centres as the dogs multiplying in the city will lead to more dog bites and the lpossibility of rabies increasing in the city. We demand the City corporation to open more ABC centres as five is not enough for a growing city like Chennai.”