Rs 2.9 crore Bengaluru drive to serve strays chicken rice stirs row

BENGALURU: Chicken rice, taxpayer money, and street dogs are set to converge in an unprecedented Rs 2.9 crore initiative by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), which will soon roll out a daily feeding programme for stray dogs. The aim: to tame dog aggression and enhance public safety - and possibly, urban chaos.

Starting with 5,000 strays across the city's eight zones, the municipal corporation will deliver one meal a day of 367 grams - a calorie-calibrated mix designed to meet the nutritional needs of a typical 15kg dog. Each Rs 22.42 meal includes: 150g chicken (protein); 100g rice (carbohydrates); 100g vegetables (minerals); 10g oil (fats). This will provide 465-750 kcal of energy.

Bengaluru has an estimated 2.8 lakh stray dogs. A trial run has already been conducted ahead of the launch, BBMP officials said. Around 500 animal-welfare volunteers currently feed around 25,000 dogs across the city.

BBMP will now onboard designated vendors to feed selected dogs - 400 to 500 for each zone - at 100 to 125 feeding points in a zone. Cleanliness at feeding sites will be part of the contract, said animal husbandry commissioner Suralkar Vikas Kishore.

Voluntary citizen participation is encouraged, with residents invited to contribute financially to the feeding efforts alongside BBMP. "This is the first time a municipal body in India has taken up scheduled mass feeding of stray animals," said a senior BBMP official. "It's not just a welfare step - it's a safety initiative."

But the move has sharply divided opinion. While animal rights activists have praised the plan, critics question the wisdom of allocating crores in public funds to feed dogs instead of curbing their population through sterilisation. "My elderly father was chased by stray dogs just last week. Instead of spending crores on chicken rice, BBMP should focus on sterilising and controlling the dog population first. Feeding is not the solution," said Sowmya Ramesh, a resident.

Kiran Raj from Hulimavu offered a counterpoint: "Many of us already feed stray dogs with our own money. If BBMP is stepping in to help, it can make a big difference - provided it's done responsibly and without corruption."