Bengaluru faces shortage of shelters as Supreme Court orders relocation of stray dogs
Bengaluru: The Supreme Court recently directed that all stray dogs in public spaces such as hospitals, schools, colleges, and parks must be shifted into shelters. While the order calls for relocating a large number of dogs, Bengaluru reportedly lacks the infrastructure to house even a few hundred dogs for large-scale Animal Birth Control (ABC) programs.
The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) is now scouting for locations to set up new dog pounds and is planning a series of initiatives to reduce dog bites across the city. “Our first priority is to set up more centres to house the dogs, and instructions have been given to all the corporations,” Deccan Herald quoted Maheshwar Rao, GBA Commissioner, as saying.
At present, there are about eight centres conducting ABC programs and a few observation centres. However, Rao acknowledged that limited space has slowed progress, prompting the authority to seek public support. “If anyone can provide us space to set up observation centres to house dogs, we can go ahead immediately. Our officials are also trying to scout suitable places,” he said.
Corporation commissioners have also asked officials to survey and identify dogs that need to be relocated so that the required infrastructure can be planned and set up. Institutions across the city have been asked to report the number of dogs on their premises, which will guide further action, added the report.
While the GBA is now focusing on better infrastructure and new initiatives, many earlier proposals remain unimplemented. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) had previously announced measures to control the stray dog population, including microchipping strays to track neutering status and community feeding programs to reduce aggressive behaviour. However, none of these measures were carried out.
“The tenders did not receive a good response. Though we invited tenders twice, we could not get a qualified agency to take up these works. Now, the individual corporations will take over,” DH quoted a senior GBA official as saying.
Rao acknowledged that many programs stalled after the GBA and five corporations took over from BBMP, but emphasised that the first priority is to implement the Supreme Court order and improve infrastructure, with other initiatives to be addressed later based on priority.
Over the last three months, the capital city has recorded at least three dog-bite incidents, including one fatality. Yet, despite repeated incidents, there seems to be no impact on the ground, and residents say they still go out in fear of being hounded by packs of dogs, added DH.
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SWR announces special trains for passengers stranded by large-scale IndiGo cancellations
Bengaluru (PTI): The South Western Railway on Saturday announced a series of special trains, in coordination with Central, South Eastern and Southern Railways, to clear stranded passengers following large-scale IndiGo flight cancellations across the country.
The special services will operate between December 6 and 10 on high-demand routes, including Bengaluru–Chennai, Bengaluru–Pune, Yesvantpur–Hazrat Nizamuddin, Shalimar–Yelahanka and Ernakulam–Yelahanka, officials said.
According to an official statement, SWR will run Train No. 06255/06256 between Chennai Egmore and KSR Bengaluru, 06257/06258 between Bengaluru and MGR Chennai Central, 06259/06260 between Yesvantpur and Hazrat Nizamuddin, and 06263/06264 between Bengaluru and Pune.
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Central Railway will operate Train No. 01413/01414 between Pune and Bengaluru, while South Eastern Railway will run Train No. 08073/08074 between Shalimar and Yelahanka. Southern Railway will operate Train No. 06147/06148 between Ernakulam and Yelahanka, the statement said.
Railways has advised passengers to check updated timings on its official channels and arrive early at stations.
For at least five days in a row, IndiGo flight operations have been significantly disrupted, with a large number of cancellations and delays causing hardships to thousands of passengers. In many cases, baggage has been misplaced.
