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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8 dead, dozens wounded in Russian strike on Ukraine's Odesa port
Kyiv (AP): Eight people were killed and 27 wounded in a Russian missile strike on port infrastructure in Odesa, southern Ukraine, late on Friday, Ukraine's Emergency Service said on Saturday morning.
Some of the wounded were on a bus at the epicentre of the overnight strike, the service said in a Telegram post. Trucks caught fire in the parking lot, and cars were also damaged.
The port was struck with ballistic missiles, said Oleh Kiper, the head of the Odesa region.
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Elsewhere, Ukrainian forces hit a Russian warship and other facilities with drones, Ukraine's General Staff said in a statement on Saturday.
The nighttime attack on Friday hit the Russian warship “Okhotnik,” according to the statement posted to the Telegram messaging app.
The ship was patrolling in the Caspian Sea near an oil and gas production platform. The extent of the damage is still being clarified, the statement added.
A drilling platform at the Filanovsky oil and gas field in the Caspian Sea was also hit. The facility is operated by Russian oil giant Lukoil. Ukrainian drones also struck a radar system in the Krasnosilske area of Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
