BBMP says decision to feed street dogs taken after evaluating pros and cons
Bengaluru, Jul 13 (PTI): Sharing details of its Rs 2.88 crore plan to feed about 4,000 street dogs in the city, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Sunday clarified that it has invited a tender in this regard after reviewing the pros and cons of the initiative.
It said the project cost involves setting up 100 feeding locations per zone, providing one meal a day to 500 dogs per zone for 365 days a year. The per-dog daily cost is Rs 19 (excluding taxes).
This includes Rs 8 for daily transport, food distribution, and cleaning at the feeding sites, and Rs 11 for the cost of food itself, according to a clarification issued by BBMP Special Commissioner of the Animal Husbandry Department, Suralkar Vikas Kishor.
Stating that the BBMP’s feeding programme is aligned with the revised Animal Birth Control (ABC) guidelines issued by the Animal Welfare Board of India, it said that as dogs are carnivorous, the meals will be nutritionally balanced, consisting of boiled chicken (for protein), rice, and vegetables.
This combination is designed to be suitable and easily digestible for street dogs. The tender document only lists the nutritional components of the meal, and the term "biryani" does not appear anywhere, it clarified.
The food will be appropriate, nutritionally balanced, and based on veterinary advice, drawing from the pilot project implemented last year.
The civic body cited wide public discussion and analysis on this matter in the media and on social media in its clarification.
Noting that BBMP initiated feeding of street dogs during the Covid-19 pandemic, and that food was also provided to a specific number of dogs last year as a continuation of that effort, it said that this year’s initiative is an improvement based on lessons learned and is also a statutory requirement as per the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, notified by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI).
BBMP has invited tenders for the supply of balanced meals to be served at designated feeding points across each zone, identified and monitored by the respective Assistant Directors, it said.
The initiative offers several benefits, BBMP said. Catching feral dogs is a major challenge, and in certain areas, food scarcity forces dogs to form aggressive packs, increasing the likelihood of dog bites. The feeding programme is aimed at addressing such issues.
Feeding makes it easier to catch the dogs for sterilisation and vaccination. This, in turn, boosts the effectiveness of animal birth control and anti-rabies vaccination campaigns, it said.
Designated feeding spots help reduce pack behaviour and food-related aggression.
"A mass vaccination drive is already underway. Balanced nutrition will improve the overall health of dogs, which reduces the risk of zoonotic disease transmission. This initiative is part of the broader public health effort under the animal health programme to control rabies," it added.
BBMP pointed out that out of the estimated 2.7 lakh street dogs in the city, only about 4,000—those most vulnerable due to lack of access to food—have been targeted under this initiative.
When implemented at the ward level with identified feeding spots, this can create a significant local impact, it said. Approximately 70 per cent of BBMP wards have already achieved sterilisation targets. However, certain wards still face challenges in catching dogs or reducing bite incidents.
"Focused feeding is being implemented in such areas to bring about improvement. BBMP continues to prioritise its animal birth control programme across the city. In other areas, dog feeding is already being actively managed by volunteer animal lovers and NGOs," it added.
Stating that BBMP will continue monitoring the effectiveness of this initiative in terms of sterilisation, vaccination coverage, and reduction in dog bite cases, BBMP said that based on a comprehensive review at the end of the year, decisions will be made regarding the programme’s continuation or future modifications.
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'Go back to your own country': Indian-origin taxi driver attacked in Dublin
London, Aug 5 (PTI): An Indian-origin taxi driver based in Ireland for over 23 years has become the latest to be targeted in an unprovoked attack in the capital Dublin, with local police (Gardai) launching an investigation into the violent assault.
Lakhvir Singh, in his 40s, told local media that he picked up two young men in their 20s on Friday night and dropped them at Poppintree, in the Ballymun suburb of Dublin.
Upon arriving at the destination, the men are said to have opened the vehicle door and struck him twice on the head with a bottle. As the suspects fled, they reportedly shouted: "Go back to your own country".
"In 10 years I've never seen anything like this happen," Singh told ‘Dublin Live’.
"I'm really scared now and I'm off the road at the moment. It will be very hard to go back. My children are really scared," he said.
A Dublin police spokesperson said Singh was taken to the city's Beaumont Hospital with injuries determined as not life-threatening.
"Gardaí are investigating an assault reported to have occurred in Poppintree, Ballymun, Dublin 11 at approximately 11:45 pm on Friday, 1st August 2025. A man, aged in his 40s, was brought to Beaumont Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injury. Investigations are ongoing," the spokesperson said.
The incident followed an Indian Embassy advisory, also issued on Friday, expressing safety concerns following recent attacks in and around the capital Dublin and urging Indian citizens to take safety precautions.
"There has been an increase in the instances of physical attacks reported against Indian citizens in Ireland recently,” states the advisory.
“The embassy is in touch with the authorities concerned in Ireland in this regard. At the same time, all Indian citizens in Ireland are advised to take reasonable precautions for their personal security and avoid deserted areas, especially at odd hours," the statement reads, adding emergency embassy contact details as 0899423734 and cons.dublin@mea.gov.in.
It came in the wake of a brutal attack on a 40-year-old Indian man at Parkhill Road in the Tallaght suburb of Dublin on July 19, described as “mindless, racist violence” by locals.
The Gardai had opened an investigation into the case and Indian Ambassador to Ireland Akhilesh Mishra was among those who took to social media to express shock over the attack.
“Regarding the recent incident of physical attack on an Indian national that happened in Tallaght, Dublin, the embassy is in touch with the victim and his family. All the requisite assistance is being offered. The embassy is also in touch with the relevant Irish authorities in this regard,” the embassy said in a social media post days after the incident.
A Stand Against Racism protest was also held by the local community in condemnation of what was described as a "vicious racist attack" and to express solidarity with migrants.
Last week, Dr Santosh Yadav took to LinkedIn to post details of a “brutal, unprovoked racist attack”.
The entrepreneur and AI expert stressed that it was not an isolated incident and called for “concrete measures” from the governments of Ireland and India to ensure Indians feel safe to walk the streets of Dublin.
His post revealed that a group of six teenagers attacked him from behind as he walked to his apartment in Dublin.
“This is not an isolated incident. Racist attacks on Indian men and other minorities are surging across Dublin — on buses, in housing estates, and on public streets. Yet, the government is silent. There is no action being taken against these perpetrators. They run free and are emboldened to attack again,” reads Yadav's post.
Fine Gael party Councillor for Tallaght South, Baby Pereppadan, was among those who expressed concern following last month’s attack.
“People need to understand that many Indian people moving to Ireland are here on work permits, to study and work in the healthcare sector or in IT and so on, providing critical skills,” he said.
Another violent anti-Indian attack in Ireland
— Journalist V (@OnTheNewsBeat) August 5, 2025
Taxi driver Lakhvir Singh was attacked with glass bottles while doing his job pic.twitter.com/mtkwhLWISx
