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BBMP Launches ₹2.9 Crore ‘Kukkir Tihar’ to Feed 5,000 Stray Dogs Chicken-Rice Meals Weekly; Aims to Curb Aggression and Support Sterilisation

BBMP’s ‘Kukkir Tihar’ initiative feeds 5,000 stray dogs nutritious meals to improve behaviour and safety.

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The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has launched a ₹2.88 to ₹2.9 crore annual initiative, named ‘Kukkir Tihar’, to feed 5,000 stray dogs across eight zones in Bengaluru with nutritious chicken-rice meals five days a week. Each meal costs approximately ₹22 and contains 150g chicken, 100g rice, 100g vegetables, and 10g oil, weighing between 360 and 600 grams.

The programme aims to reduce aggressive behaviour among street dogs, improve public safety, and facilitate easier vaccination and sterilisation efforts. While animal welfare advocates and some citizens have welcomed the initiative, critics including MP Karti Chidambaram warn that feeding alone may exacerbate stray population growth and public health risks if not paired with comprehensive sterilisation and shelter programmes.

Nutritious Meals and Public Safety: BBMP’s Comprehensive Stray Dog Feeding Plan

The ‘Kukkir Tihar’ programme will operate across 100 to 125 designated feeding spots in each of the eight BBMP zones, ensuring widespread coverage throughout Bengaluru. Food preparation is centralised in FSSAI-registered kitchens that adhere to strict hygiene standards, with CCTV surveillance to maintain transparency and safety.

A senior BBMP official explained, “This initiative is more than just animal welfare; it is a public safety strategy aimed at reducing the number of dog bite incidents, which currently range from 500 to 1,500 monthly in the city.”

The meals are carefully balanced to provide adequate protein, carbohydrates, minerals, and fats, designed to stabilise the behaviour of stray dogs and support ongoing anti-rabies vaccination drives. Vendors managing the feeding spots are also responsible for maintaining cleanliness to prevent environmental hazards.

The programme forms a key component of BBMP’s larger ‘One Health’ initiative, which targets the elimination of rabies in Bengaluru by 2030 through integrated human and animal health strategies.

Background: Stray Dog Challenges and Divergent Views in Bengaluru

Bengaluru has been grappling with a growing stray dog population for years, leading to increased reports of dog bites, attacks, and related public health concerns. The city’s rapid urbanisation and expanding human settlements have contributed to the proliferation of street dogs, complicating management efforts.

While the feeding scheme has been praised by animal welfare organisations and community feeders—who often face harassment and hostility—critics including MP Karti Chidambaram have voiced concerns. Chidambaram has argued that feeding stray dogs without adequate shelter, vaccination, and sterilisation measures risks increasing stray populations and exacerbating health hazards such as rabies transmission.

He has called for relocating stray dogs to well-managed shelters and establishing a national task force to develop scientific and humane solutions to the problem. The BBMP, while acknowledging these concerns, views the feeding programme as a complementary measure that must work in tandem with ongoing sterilisation and vaccination drives to achieve a holistic and sustainable approach to stray dog management.

The Logical Indian’s Perspective

At The Logical Indian, we advocate for compassionate, science-based, and pragmatic approaches to urban animal welfare that balance kindness with public safety and sustainability.

Feeding programmes like ‘Kukkir Tihar’ can play a valuable role in reducing aggression and fostering peaceful coexistence between humans and street dogs—provided they are integrated with robust vaccination, sterilisation, and shelter initiatives.

It is essential that municipal authorities, animal welfare groups, and local communities collaborate transparently and empathetically, ensuring that interventions address both immediate safety concerns and long-term population control.

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