T’puram: In a major step towards strengthening stray dog rehabilitation and control measures, city corporation has completed the upgrade of its veterinary hospital-cum-ABC centre at Vandithadam, significantly enhancing its capacity for treatment, sterilization and vaccination.The revamped facility can now accommodate and treat up to 100 stray dogs at a time — double its earlier capacity of 50 — marking a substantial boost to the city’s Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme. The civic body has also doubled its workforce at the centre from four to eight, with the current team comprising three dog catchers, three attenders and two veterinary doctors. Corporation officials said the upgrade includes improvements to surgical infrastructure, enabling more efficient sterilisation procedures. The move comes at a time when the capital continues to grapple with a large stray dog population, estimated at around 8,700, with only about 42% sterilized so far. The upgraded facility is designed to perform 25-30 sterilization surgeries per day. Veterinary surgeon of the city corporation (health wing), Dr Sreerag Jayan, told TOI that the enhanced facility would play a crucial role in scaling up interventions. He added that the improved surgical setup would allow for a higher number of procedures daily, reducing backlog and response time. The Vandithadam centre, which resumed operations after a prolonged closure due to legal and environmental concerns, has been functioning under constraints until recently. The latest upgrade is expected to ease pressure on other facilities such as the Pettah ABC centre, which has been handling a large share of sterilization work in the city. However, officials noted that the larger plan to establish a multispecialty veterinary hospital and advanced ABC centre at Vandithadam at a cost of Rs 4.5 crore is still pending. The project, envisioned as a comprehensive hub with quarantine units, kennels, post-operative care wards and modern waste management systems, will move forward only after the model code of conduct is lifted and fresh tenders are floated. The proposed facility is expected to further enhance the city’s capacity to handle stray dog issues through systematic vaccination, sterilization and long-term rehabilitation. Authorities are also exploring decentralized shelters and additional infrastructure to complement ongoing efforts. The ABC centre at Vandithadam was shut down in Dec 2023 following complaints of animal rights violations. As a result, the corporation has had to rely on the veterinary facility at Pettah, which has been undergoing renovations. To manage the increasing number of stray dogs in the city, the corporation is also upgrading the Pettah veterinary hospital at a cost of Rs 40 lakh. However, the civic body can manage with the Vandithadam facility following the upgrade, with an approximate cost of Rs 25 lakh.
