BBMP to float tender for stray dog microchipping project, for third time

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is set to float a tender for the third time to microchip stray dogs, even as a charitable trust has moved the High Court to challenge the project. The matter is currently sub judice.

According to the tender proposal, the project is estimated to cost ₹3.23 crore. Of this, ₹3.09 crore is allocated for procuring 1,62,817 microchips and ₹14.85 lakh is set aside for purchasing 50 microchip readers. A BBMP official overseeing the project explained that each microchip, measuring around 1–1.5 mm, will be injected into the first layer of a dog’s skin near the neck using a hypodermic needle. This procedure will be carried out by specialists working under the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme. As the official noted, the selected contractor will be required to procure the microchips, which are not manufactured in India, and also provide software for storing and managing the associated data.

“Procurement will take place in phases as we complete implanting the previously procured microchips. We will inform the contractor in advance, and they will be responsible for supplying the next batch,” the official told The Hindu, adding that while there is no fixed deadline, the project is expected to be completed within one or two years. The contractor is also required to provide software services, which the BBMP will access for free for a period of one year. After that, the contractor will submit an annual cost estimate, and the BBMP will subscribe accordingly.

According to BBMP officials, only two known contractors, one from Gujarat and one from Mumbai, currently meet the eligibility criteria. Suralkar Vikas Kishor, Special Commissioner (Health and Animal Husbandry), BBMP, stated that the first tender, floated in February last year, received no bids. A second tender was issued later that year and awarded to a contractor, but he failed to meet the software service requirements specified in the tender.

Meanwhile, the BBMP conducted a pilot project in which microchips were implanted in 500 stray dogs. An audit conducted 15 days later showed no adverse effects on the dogs, and the chips functioned effectively, according to Mr. Kishor. Each microchip will contain a GPS tracker and a Unique Identification Number (UIN), enabling BBMP officials to locate microchipped dogs. The UIN will store data, including vaccination details, the dog’s location, and photographs, all of which will be stored on a server accessible via the software.

Animal rights activist Arun Prasad called the project illegal. “ABC rules do not permit the implantation of microchips in free-roaming stray dogs. They only allow private dog owners to microchip their pets for identification purposes,” said Mr. Prasad. A Bengaluru-based charitable trust has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the High Court challenging the project. The case is currently under judicial consideration.