Mobile units lying idle as ABC project grinds to halt post SC order in Kerala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme in Kerala has come to a grinding halt following the recent Supreme Court directive prohibiting the release of sterilised dogs back into the same locations. Local bodies across the state have stopped catching stray dogs for sterilisation, as the court has mandated that they be relocated to shelters instead. With the stray dog crisis worsening, the state government has decided to write a letter to the Centre urging to amend the ABC rules. In the absence of shelters, ABC programmes across the state have landed in trouble. The newly launched mobile ABC unit is also lying idle, as the captured dogs cannot be released or accommodated anywhere. An official told the TNIE that after the inauguration they were planning to launch the operations of the mobile ABC unit immediately. The SC order came as a bolt from the blue and if we capture the dogs for sterilisation we cannot release it back. Hence we have put on hold its operation, said an official source. The mobile ABC unit was launched on a pilot basis at Nedumangad municipality in Thiruvananthapuram as an emergency strategy to address the growing stray dog attacks. The portable unit designed with the support of the Indian Immunologicals Ltd (IIL) and the NGO CAWA comes equipped with facilities for two simultaneous surgeries, a fully air-conditioned theatre, generator, refrigerator, and a Wi-Fi-enabled camera monitoring system. Minister for Animal Husbandry, J Chinchu Rani, told TNIE that the existing ABC rules need to be revised in light of the current situation. The ABC rules should be rewritten. We dont have any shelters in the state, and people are even against the setting up of ABC centres. Its a densely populated state, we simply dont have the land for shelters. We are going to write to the Centre soon, as the recent SC directive contradicts the ABC Rules themselves, said Chinchu Rani. She said the suspension of ABC operations could lead to an increase in stray dogs. Other states are also facing the same problem. Because of the ongoing LSG polls, we havent been able to make any immediate interventions, but more discussions will be held soon to find a solution, she said.