BJP stages protest againt Ludhiana MC over stray dog menace

raised slogans against member of Parliament (MP) Ravneet Bittu

BJP leaders and workers staged a protest outside the MC’s Zone D office on Monday over the stray dog menace in the city. BJP leader Vineet Monga and his supporters raised slogans against member of Parliament (MP) Ravneet Bittu who was conducting a meeting with MC officials at the office. The protest continued for around three hours.

BJP workers protesting outside the MC’s Zone D in Ludhiana on Monday. (Harsimar Pal SIngh/HT)

In February 2016, Bittu, cabinet minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu and other Congress leaders and workers had staged a protest against the then SAD-BJP government for its failure to deal with the stray dog menace .

Monga said that the state government has failed to follow the directions of Punjab and Haryana high court which had ordered that dog shelters be built outside the MC limits where strays will be shifted.

Highlighting a recent incident where an eight-year-old boy was brutally attacked by stray dogs in Tajganj area, Monga said, “The boy was admitted to the hospital where he underwent a surgery. But, senior deputy mayor Sham Sundar Malhotra, who is the area councillor, claimed that MC can do nothing to shift the dogs. A large number of dog bite cases are still being reported at the civil hospital everyday. But, it seems that the civic body is not concerned about the problem. Even the dog sterilisation project is not being taken up properly in the city.”

MP Ravneet Bittu said, “The MC is taking up dog sterilisation projects in the city and its capacity is also being increased. However, there have been anomalies in the project and it also came to a halt twice in the last two months due to exodus of labourers the amid pandemic. Authorities have been directed to streamline the project to bring some relief to residents.”