Coimbatore: To humanely bring down the number of stray dogs, the city corporation is constructing an animal birth control (ABC) centre on a 50-cent plot in the east ward at a cost of Rs 1crore.The civic body is planning to rope in NGOs to execute the programme successfully. “People should come forward to support the programme as they will have to bear the brunt if sterilization is not carried out on street dogs. The centre is located on the city border, away from residential areas,” honorary state animal welfare officer Kalpana Vasudevan said.ABC programme was interrupted and not a single stray from 80 wards were sterilized for almost one-and-a-half years after the ABC centre at Ukkadam was closed due to opposition from the public.Remembering a few incidents when residents armed up against sterilization surgeries at the Ukkadam centre, Vasudevan said that the centre was closed because of the opposition from local residents and some politicians. “We would have sterilized all the dogs if only the centre was not closed. As a result, stray dog population has increased drastically in the last three breeding seasons. Each ward would have at least 30% unsterilized dogs. Fast sterilization is the only solution to control the population,” she told TOI.The ABC centre at Seeranacikenpalayam has been conducting surgeries on some strays in the remaining 20 wards.Even though the corporation officials had estimated the number of street dogs that need to be sterilized at 33,097 in 2014, animal activists claimed that there were more than 60,000 such dogs in the city. Non-governmental organizations Humane Animal Society and People for Animal Unit II had sterilized over 20,000 strays till March, 2017.At any point of time, more than five street dogs can be seen along the walking track at Race Course, said R Ramasamy, an avid walker. “At night, they chase after vehicles and fight with other dogs that enter the area. With these dogs around, you cannot even buy food from restaurants as they walk along, sniffing the parcel,” the 55-year-old man said.

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