Decision to feed street dogs taken after proper evaluation: BBMP

Sharing details of its ₹2.88 crore plan to feed about 4,000 street dogs in the city, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Sunday clarified that it has invited a tender in this regard after reviewing the pros and cons of the initiative.

- Press Trust of India

It said the project cost involves setting up 100 feeding locations per zone, providing one meal a day to 500 dogs per zone for 365 days a year. The per-dog daily cost is ₹19 (excluding taxes).

This includes ₹8 for daily transport, food distribution, and cleaning at the feeding sites, and ₹11 for the cost of food itself, according to a clarification issued by BBMP special commissioner of the Animal Husbandry Department, Suralkar Vikas Kishor.

Stating that the BBMP's feeding programme is aligned with the revised Animal Birth Control (ABC) guidelines issued by the Animal Welfare Board of India, it said that as dogs are carnivorous, the meals will be nutritionally balanced, consisting of boiled chicken (for protein), rice, and vegetables. This combination is designed to be suitable and easily digestible for street dogs. The tender document only lists the nutritional components of the meal, and the term "biryani" does not appear anywhere, it clarified. The food will be appropriate, nutritionally balanced, and based on veterinary advice, drawing from the pilot project implemented last year.