Complaints prompt PMC to invite another bid for cat sterilisation - Hindustan Times
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Complaints prompt PMC to invite another bid for cat sterilisation

ByAbhay Khairnar
Jul 05, 2022 11:53 PM IST

PUNE: After two failed attempts, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to once again float a fresh tender for cat sterilisation project after the last year’s plan did not take off due to the Covid situation

PUNE: After two failed attempts, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to once again float a fresh tender for cat sterilisation project after the last year’s plan did not take off due to the Covid situation. PMC’s move comes after a series of complaints from residents about increased population of stray cats which, according to many, are a “menace”.

After two failed attempts, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to once again float a fresh tender for cat sterilisation project after the last year’s plan did not take off due to the Covid situation (FILE PHOTO)
After two failed attempts, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to once again float a fresh tender for cat sterilisation project after the last year’s plan did not take off due to the Covid situation (FILE PHOTO)

According to officials, PMC would pay the agency Rs1,000 for each sterilisation.

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PMC has appealed to firms working in this field to participate in the tendering process as the past efforts received poor response. Of the Rs1,000 allocated for each sterilisation, the civic body would pay Rs800 for operation and care and Rs200 for pick up and drop of the animal in the same locality.

As per the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) guidelines, PMC would need to put cages to catch cats and carry out operations at private places.

After Mumbai, Pune would be the second municipal corporation in the state to carry out a programme to control cat population.

Ashish Mane, PMC veterinary department officer, said, “PMC will follow AWBI guidelines, including how to catch cats, post-operation care and dropping them in same locality.”

AWBI in 2019 had issued an advisory to state governments and Union territories on cat sterilisation.

Mane said, “As cat is a small animal, PMC has not carried out their census. Hence, we do not know its population.

Following AWBI advisory, the state government had issued an order stating that there is an overpopulation of cats resulting in perpetration of cruelty on them. Unwanted cats end up on streets each year as only a few are adopted.

“The rest are either euthanised or die due to trauma, exposure to adverse weather conditions, accident, starvation or disease,” the state government order in 2019 stated.

According to experts, generally, a cat gives birth to four to five kittens every three months, thereby increasing its population immensely. There are many incidents of kittens dying on roads, gutters and drainage pipes.

In many housing societies in Pune, cats have become a bone of contention among residents with one side arguing for their safety while some see them as menace. “In my society, cats have become a regular issue of confrontation between those who support them and others opposing the animal. We have asked PMC to collect these strays, which cause damage to vehicle seats,” said Payal Joshi, a resident of More Baug in Katraj.

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