After remaining in an inoperative mode for nearly three years, the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation’s (MBMC) veterinary clinic in Mira Road was finally inaugurated by municipal commissioner- Sanjay Katkar on Friday.
Located near the Swami Ayyappa Temple in the Poonam Sagar area of Mira Road, the facility where ailing animals and birds can be treated free-of-cost has been constructed in 2019. However, the clinic which was initially handed over to social welfare organisations had continued to remain in and out of service for the past couple of years allegedly due to bureaucratic hurdles.
The clinic and its facilities
After an uproar by local social organisations and irate animal lovers, the public works department (PWD) finally floated tenders for much needed repair and renovation work which was recently completed. A three-member team led by an MBMC-appointed veterinary doctor will operate the clinic from 10 am to 5 pm on weekdays. The facility has been equipped with needed surgical/diagnostic equipment and an ambulance to rescue injured birds and get ailing or wounded animals from the streets to the veterinary clinic, where they could be treated.
Apart from treating ailing animals, the clinic will also facilitate sterilisation of stray cats under the ongoing Animal Birth Control (ABC) project. The team will reach out to various areas to spot and provide onsite treatment to the stray animals and if need arises transport them to the clinic for further medication. It is believed that most minor injuries or infections are best treated on the street where the animal is localized and is more likely to be comfortable or at ease.
The other veterinary clinic located below the fly-over-bridge in Bhayandar (west), has been handed over by the civic administration to the Ahinsa Charitable Trust for a period of three years in exchange of rent amounting Rs. 15,000 per annum.
Rabies Free Twin-City
In a bid to make the twin-city ‘rabies-free’, the civic administration is all set to conduct a five-day long drive from 26, February to 1, March to vaccinate stray dogs free of cost in all municipal wards. The MBMC has set a target of vaccinating 20,000 dogs in association with animal welfare organisations including- Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS), Mission Rabies and MOA. Ten teams comprising 40 volunteers will assist personnel from MBMC’s animal husbandry in conducting the vaccination drive.
