Portable ABC unit launched at Thiruvananthapuram's Nedumangad

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a bid to enhance stray dog management and control its population, the state has launched the first-ever portable ABC centre on Wednesday at Nedumangad municipality in Thiruvananthapuram. Inaugurating the unit, Animal Husbandry Minister J Chinchurani announced that seven more portable ABC units in Kollam, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, and Kannur districts will be implemented this financial year. This is the first step towards finding a sustainable solution to the stray dog menace that has become a growing public concern. The government has earmarked Rs 12 crore in this years budget to expand the portable ABC model, which will help implement sterilisation and vaccination programmes efficiently, without any hindrances often faced by static centres, said Chinchurani. The Nedumangad municipality has provided the land, water, and electricity facilities for the unit which is equipped with an air-conditioned operation theatre. The unit will initially sterilise stray dogs in the municipality, with a team of two veterinary surgeons carrying out 7 to 10 sterilisation surgeries per day over the next 45 days. The government has fixed a rate of Rs 2,200 per animal. Municipality chairperson Sreeja C S said it was a matter of pride that Nedumangad became the first local body in the country to launch a portable ABC centre. This innovative model will make stray dog management more practical, humane, and efficient, she said. Sterilised dogs will be housed in 35 specially designed cages near the centre for four to five days after surgery, during which they will receive medical care, food, and anti-rabies vaccination before being released back to their original locations.