BBMP launches Rs 2.88-crore plan to feed chicken, rice to 5000 stray dogs
Bengaluru: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has rolled out a Rs 2.88-crore annual programme to feed non-vegetarian meals—chicken and rice—to around 5,000 stray dogs in few areas of the city.
The civic body aims to curb the city’s rising dog bite cases, currently ranging from 500 to 1,500 per month, through this dog-feeding plan, as reported by Deccan Herald on Friday.
The BBMP will spend Rs 22 per dog per day, which includes transportation and distribution costs. The budget reportedly covers around 5,000 street dogs, including transportation costs.
“Many people find the initiative amusing, but it is not. We have consulted experts before drawing up the plan,” DH quoted BBMP Special Commissioner Suralkar Vikas Kishore as saying. He noted that the programme would be implemented in areas with frequent dog bite incidents.
Previously, BBMP had urged citizens to voluntarily feed strays at their own expense. However, with limited public participation, the civic body decided to allocate funds directly for the programme.
The move has sparked mixed reactions. Critics argue that BBMP should focus on core civic issues rather than animal feeding. Dog lovers, however, have welcomed the initiative.
Prema Prasad, a Koramangala resident who feeds over 150 dogs daily, said it had become very expensive to feed street dogs, and BBMP’s intervention was a positive step. “So far, the civic body’s animal husbandry wing has spent money on many unnecessary activities. This is a much-needed change,” DH quoted her as saying.
“When dogs have full stomachs, conflicts are reduced. We must treat them as our own,” she said, urging BBMP to also consider providing small shelters to ensure the animals' safety and well-being.
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Bangladesh court sentences Sheikh Hasina to 10 years in jail in corruption cases
Dhaka (PTI): A Bangladesh court on Monday sentenced deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to 10 years in jail in two separate corruption cases related to alleged irregularities in allocations of land in a government housing project.
Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-4 Judge Rabiul Alam handed down the verdicts, sentencing Hasina to a total of 10 years’ imprisonment — five years in each case, state-run BSS news agency reported.
The court sentenced 78-year-old Hasina, her nephew Radwan Mujib Siddiq, and her nieces, Tulip Rizwana Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq, and others in the cases over alleged irregularities in the allocation of plots under the Rajuk New Town Project in Purbachol.
The judgment was pronounced at around 12.30 pm.
Tulip Siddiq was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment — two years in each case — while Radwan Mujib Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq were each sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment in both cases.
Rajuk member Mohammad Khurshid Alam, the only accused to surrender before the court, was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment in each case, totalling two years.
The court also fined all convicted persons Tk1 lakh each and ordered them to serve an additional six months in prison in default of payment.
Hasina has been living in India since she fled Bangladesh on August 5 last year in the face of the massive protests. She was earlier declared a fugitive by the court.
The cases were filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over alleged abuse of power in the allocation of two 10-katha plots.
According to the prosecution, the accused manipulated the allocation process and violated existing rules and regulations of the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk).
