BBMP Clears Doubts on Midday Meal for Dogs

Chicken rice as per vet advice, feeding streeties mandated by ABC law

- Aknisree Karthik @Bengaluru

Will street dogs be fed biryani? How can dogs be given chicken? Why can't the dogs be caught and kept in animal shelters? What is the benefit of the feeding programme? Why is BBMP spending taxpayers' money on feeding dogs? Will feeding increase the stray dog population?

These are some of the questions asked by citizens after Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) announced it would feed stray dogs. Bangalore Rural MP Dr CN Manjunath questioned how the civic body can feed them chicken, and whether BBMP would be able to feed dogs in every city street. In response, BBMP has attempted to answer the questions and criticism.

Recently, BBMP floated tenders to feed around 4,000 strays one meal a day, at 11 a.m., at nearly 100 locations. As per the BBMP's meal plan, each dog would be fed 367.5 gm of chicken rice, so the streeties get around 750 calories. As per BBMP's estimate, the feeding programme would cost Rs 2.88 crore a year.