India, Aug. 21 -- LUCKNOW To manage the growing population of stray dogs and improve public safety, the UP government has decided to pump in Rs.32.73 crore for the construction of one animal birth control (ABC) centre in Lucknow and another in Ghaziabad, besides expansion of 17 such permanent centres already operational in major municipal corporations, said principal secretary (urban development) Amrit Abhijat.

The initiative is said to one of the largest state-led investments in dog population management in India.

The announcement was made during a workshop on the effective management and capacity building of ABC centres, chaired by the principal secretary at the directorate of urban local bodies on Thursday.

As part of its comprehens...