Pune: Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) standing committee on Wednesday approved the appointment of 130 contractual staff through two agencies to strengthen sterilisation, anti-rabies vaccination and animal-care operations in view of rising complaints of stray dog attacks and a manpower shortage in its veterinary department.The appointments will increase the department’s workforce from 96 to more than 200 personnel. A senior civic official said the existing veterinary workforce was also deployed through contractual agencies, with no permanent staff on the department’s payroll.Deputy municipal commissioner and veterinary department head Sandip Khot said vacancies in key positions had hampered operations, particularly sterilisation drives. “Several posts, including that of biologists, have remained vacant. PCMC did not have a single biologist on its staff. The new recruitment will fill critical gaps and bring in personnel from diverse backgrounds,” he said.Civic officials said the manpower shortage was the key reason for the limited scale of sterilisation and anti-rabies vaccination programmes to control the stray dog population. The issue dominated general body discussions over the past two months, with corporators expressing concern over increasing dog attack incidents.Pressure on the administration intensified after a child suffered serious injuries in a stray dog attack in Chikhali on Aug 9, prompting the elected representatives to demand urgent action to curb the stray dog population. “The department’s responsibilities have expanded in recent months with the addition of two ward offices, four ambulances and a forthcoming outpatient animal hospital in Thergaon, creating a greater demand for manpower,” Khot said.The newly recruited staffers are expected to join within the next two weeks. They will be deployed for duties including operating dog-catching vans and ambulances, managing the dog park in Pimple Saudagar and supporting animal welfare initiatives.Additional personnel will also be assigned to the Bahinabai Chaudhari Zoo in Chinchwad, which is expected to open to the public soon. PCMC will spend Rs 10.75 crore over two years on the two agencies tasked with providing the contractual workforce.
