Jammu : Awareness cum interaction programme was organized on Tuesday by the Veterinary section of JMC in collaboration with DPS School, Jammu.
The main motive of the programme was to educate the school students regarding the importance of the Animal Birth Control Program being implemented by JMC in collaboration with Friendicoes-SECA in all the 75 wards of Municipal Corporation, Jammu and its impact on society.
Joint Commissioner (H&S), JMC, Kulbhushan Khajuria graced the event as a chief guest. Other dignitaries present included Principal DPS School, Ruchi Chabra, Health Officer JMC, Dr. Vinod Kumar Sharma, MVO, JMC Dr. Sushil Kumar Sharma & Dr. Divya Sharma, VAS JMC & other officials of JMC & faculty members of DPS were also present.
MVO, JMC Dr. Sushil Kumar Sharma acquainted the faculty & students about the Animal Birth Control Program & its progress in Jammu. He said out of about 40,000 stray dog population in Jammu city, approximately 32000 have already been sterilized & vaccinated under the ABC programme being run by JMC. He laid emphasis on the fact that as per ABC (Dog) Rules, 2023, stray dogs are not being dislocated from one locality to another. They are only being captured for sterilization & vaccination and are released back in the same area with a permanent identification mark i.e. “Right Ear-notch”.
Health Officer, JMC Dr. Vinod Kumar Sharma further guided the faculty & students about rabies prevention, control and immediate steps to be taken in case of dog bite.
VAS, JMC Dr. Divya Sharma presented a powerpoint presentation on implementation, objectives, various Animal Welfare activities & success of ABC/ARV programme run by Jammu Municipal Corporation in accordance with the Animal Birth Control (Dog) Rules, 2023 within JMC limits. She also demonstrated how the stray dog population can be controlled in a time bound manner via effective ABC programme implementation that will also curb the spread of rabies both in humans as well as animals.
Joint Commissioner (H&S) JMC in his address appreciated the role of Veterinary services wing of JMC for organizing such type of mass awareness extension programs in educational institutions of Jammu city as it envisages propagating the awareness upto the grass root level which is very important for the successful implementation of ABC program within JMC limits. He thanked the Principal & all the faculty members of DPS School for their support in organizing such awareness programs for the students. He further requested the general public/ Resident Welfare Associations/ AWOs/ Local animal activists for their cooperation for the effective implementation of ABC/ ARV programme in Jammu city. He also advised the Veterinary wing to organize such kind of awareness cum interaction programs with students in future also.
Ruchi Chabra, Principal DPS School, Jammu presented her perspective about the ABC/ARV programme being implemented by JMC to control the menace of stray dog in Jammu city and its importance to curb the spread of rabies in both human as well as animal population. She also extended her gratitude towards the JMC authorities for organizing such an extensive & informative session on ABC/ARV programme for students of her school.
