Chennai councillors seek action against stray dog issues

A group of female Congress councillors met with Chennai's mayor, R Priya, to discuss the growing issue of stray dogs in the city. They brought a letter from their party MP, Karti Chidambaram, asking the mayor to share details on how the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) used 20 crore earmarked for animal welfare. Councillor Amirda Varshini expressed concerns about attacks from stray dogs, noting a recent incident where three people were bitten in a park. She urged the mayor to take action based on the MP's suggestions, which include forming an expert committee, focusing on sterilization in busy areas, and starting public awareness campaigns. Another councillor, M Banu Priya, highlighted problems with the quality of sterilization for dogs. She emphasized the need to ensure that sterilization methods are effective, saying that this was crucial for managing the stray dog population. In his letter, Karti pointed out a significant rise in dog bite cases in Tamil Nadu, which jumped from 3.3 lakh in 2022 to 6.41 lakh in 2024. He noted that Chennai's stray dog population had grown to 1.81 lakh, far exceeding the 58,000 count in 2018. He mentioned that only 27% of these dogs have been sterilized, leading to more uncontrolled breeding and increased attacks. Amirda Varshini also suggested that GCC should establish more Animal Birth Control (ABC) centers, especially in Central and South Chennai. The mayor responded by saying that funds are being allocated to create more ABC centers in the city.