Agartala, February 8: Tripura’s Chief Minister Manik Saha highlighted the importance of training and public awareness in preventing accidents and diseases related to stray animals, particularly rabies, during a meeting held on Saturday.
Saha emphasized the need to educate students, teachers, and the general public about rabies, animal behavior, and related safety measures. He stressed the significance of public education regarding the behavior of stray dogs and other animals, along with promoting preventive measures and first aid protocols to reduce the spread of accidents and diseases.
The Chief Minister announced that the state government is working to rescue stray animals and provide them with suitable shelters. Various initiatives have been implemented to ensure the safety of these animals and to minimize related accidents.
Saha identified the vaccination of domestic animals as a crucial strategy to prevent zoonotic diseases. During the meeting, he reviewed the progress of constructing shelters for stray animals in 20 municipal areas.
This review included the establishment of animal birth control centers in the Agartala Municipal Corporation and Dharmanagar Municipal Council areas, as well as proposed centers in six additional districts.
He instructed officials to conduct adequate public awareness campaigns before initiating any stray animal management programs. The Chief Minister also requested comprehensive data regarding the total number of stray animals in the state, the operations of animal birth control centers at various locations, and the progress made in managing stray animals.
Senior officials present at the meeting included Deepa D. Nair, Secretary of the Animal Resource Development Department; Milind Ramteke, Secretary of Urban Development; Shankari Das, Secretary of Law; Saju Wahid A., Commissioner of Agartala Municipal Corporation; Neeraj Kumar Chanchal, Director of ARD; and Uttam Kumar Chakma, Secretary of the Transport Department.