₹19 per dog daily under BBMP’s street dog feeding programme in Bengaluru

Bengaluru

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has earmarked ₹2.88 crore this year to feed 4,000 community (street) dogs across the city, at a cost of ₹19 per dog per day (excluding taxes). This includes ₹11 for food and ₹8 for transport, distribution, and cleaning at feeding sites. The civic body plans to serve one meal per day at 100 designated feeding points in each of the city’s eight zones, targeting 500 dogs per zone, over 365 days.

The initiative, a continuation of BBMP’s COVID-era feeding effort, is now a statutory requirement under the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, notified by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI). According to Special Commissioner of Animal Husbandry Suralkar Vikas Kishor, the tender is aimed at addressing multiple public health and animal welfare concerns, including facilitating sterilisation and vaccination drives.

Clarifying recent media reports, BBMP said that the term “biryani” does not appear anywhere in the tender. The food consists of boiled chicken (for protein), rice, and vegetables, forming a meal that is both suitable and easily digestible for dogs. The menu is based on veterinary advice and lessons from last year’s pilot project.

The rationale behind the programme extends beyond nutrition. Street dogs, particularly in areas where food is scarce, tend to form aggressive packs. This increases the likelihood of dog bites and complicates capture efforts. By introducing designated feeding points, BBMP hopes to reduce food-related aggression, improve health and immunity, and make it easier to catch dogs for sterilisation and anti-rabies vaccination.

Bengaluru has an estimated 2.7 lakh street dogs, and while 70% of BBMP wards have already met sterilisation targets, some wards still struggle with catching dogs and managing bite incidents. The feeding programme focuses on such wards, aiming to create a localised impact. In areas where community volunteers and NGOs already manage feeding, BBMP continues to prioritise sterilisation under its broader animal birth control strategy.

Officials stressed that relocating or sheltering street dogs is prohibited by law, and the ABC Rules provide detailed guidelines that local bodies are required to implement. The feeding programme will be closely monitored, and outcomes related to sterilisation, vaccination, and dog bite incidents will inform decisions on whether to continue or modify the initiative in the coming year.

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