Several municipalities in the State suspended their sterilisation drives months ago, with the result that stray dogs have been given a run of the streets, especially at night.

The death of an 18-month-old infant torn apart by a pack of stray dogs in Visakhapatnam on Friday did horrify Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, who shot off a fiat to municipalities to round up loose canines, but civic authorities across state said they were strapped for cash and manpower to do much about it.

Several municipalities in the State suspended their sterilisation drives months ago, with the result that stray dogs have been given a run of the streets, especially at night.

The Municipal Corporation of Tirupati's (MCT’s) drive to control stray dogs for instance has run aground due to lack of infrastructure and manpower. The ambitious drive, implemented with the help of a local NGO Animal Care Land, began on April 15, with the aim of reining in the stray dog menace within six months but thousands of dogs rules the streets of the temple city.

A survey by municipal officials in the city’s 50 wards pegged the total number of strays at 8,000. Of them, only about 2000 have been sterilised.

The stumbling block is manpower. “We can sterilise about 30 dogs per day owing to the limited facilities and manpower available to our NGO partner. Subsequent surgical procedures will take a week,” said a senior official.

MCT officials said they are planning to employ 3-4 people for the task, along with a dog-catcher truck.

In Kakinada, another city bidding to be chosen as a smart city, morning walkers have been up in arms about stray dogs ruling the streets in the early hours. Not just in parks and public places, but in residential colonies areas as well, stray dog menace is a major factor. In response to several representations from residents, the Kakinada Municipal Corporation (KMC) has chalked out an action plan and made arrangements to implement it from Monday onwards.

“We have arranged a special vehicle for our dog squad,” B. Sailaja Suresh Kumar, KMC’s health officer said. The civic body has ordered stocks of the anti-rabies vaccine, which is expected to reach health centres in a week.

Kakinada Municipal Corporation has chalked out action plan to curb dog menace