Hyderabad is gearing up for Ivanka Trump’s visit at the end of this month and the preparations are rather disturbing. The municipality has apparently resorted to killing of stray dogs.
Recently, the city police reportedly picked up beggars and hawkers from the streets and shifted them to rehabilitation centres as a drive to sanitise the city.
Reportedly, two rich, educated women at Langar Houz dargah were mistaken for beggars and taken to the rehabilitation centres along with other beggars.
Apparently, its the turn of the stray dogs now.
According to the Deccan Chronicle, dog lovers have reported seeing fewer number of dogs in Banjara and Jubilee Hills and even the surrounding areas.
The residents of these areas allegedly think that the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is behind the disappearing of dogs in their locality.
The stray dogs are being caught and taken away, post which they are being poisoned so that the city is sanitised for Ivanka Trump’s visit at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit this month.
Animal activists allege the same, and according to them, it is a part of the clean-up drive launched by the Telangana government in preparation of the summit.
Dogs have been found dead or seriously ill with symptoms of poisoning, they alleged.
Residents who know a few friendly strays told about their disappearance to Deccan Chronicle.
“My dogs have not come back after being picked up.”
Residents took dogs for examination to the GHMC vets, where it was confirmed that they had been poisoned.
GHMC officials, however, deny the allegations of poisoning. J.D. Wilson, assistant director, Veterinary, GHMC, told Deccan Chronicle:
“These allegations are totally wrong because we don’t kill the stray dogs. We just pick up the dogs for animal birth control process and we release them in the same locality.”