Hubballi: The financial troubles being faced by Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation has led to the sterilization programme to curb stray dogs come to a halt in the twin cities. HDMC has not paid dues to an NGO which carried out the animal birth control (ABC) programme. As a result, no one is coming forward to carry out sterilization.Sources say HDMC has to pay the NGO nearly Rs 8 lakh and bills since July last year are pending. HDMC was supposed to clear the bills every month. Animal Rights Fund (ARF), the NGO which was conducting the ABC programme had its own operation unit at Itigatti and used to charge Rs 980 for sterilising a dog. On an average, it used to sterilize 15 to 20 dogs par day. Despite no payments from HDMC, it continued the drive till October last year. When HDMC remained indifferent to their demand to release their dues, ARF stopped the ABC programme, said a source.No fund problem: HDMCHDMC health officer Dr Prabhu Biradar said that there was no problem as such pertaining to release of funds and the ABC programme would continue.Opposition leader in the HDMC council Ganesh Tagargunti told TOI that the ABC programme was hampered due to officials not clearing the bills.“We have asked officials several times to clear pending bills for the sterilization programme but our suggestion was not taken seriously. The HDMC commissioner should take this matter seriously,” he added.Mayor Sudhir Saraf said, “I am not aware of the ABC programme being abandoned. I will look into the matter with officials. I was told by officials that the tender period of a NGO is over and re-tendering is also completed. The programme will resume soon,” he added.When will they act, asks a residentRukminibai Dalbanjan, a resident of Anand Nagar the stray daog menace in her locality had increased in recent months. “The civic authorities have not done anything to address this problem. Will they wake up only when something serious happens?” she said.

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