4,935 Panchkula residents bitten by dogs in six months

As per the data shared by the Panchkula health department, 4,935 people were bitten by dogs in the first six months of 2022 alone, against the annual figures of 6,016 and 5,692 in 2021 and 2020, respectively

With the city seeing an uptick in dog attacks, residents are increasingly regarding dogs, both pets and strays, with fear.

With the city seeing an uptick in dog attacks, residents are increasingly regarding dogs, both pets and strays, with fear. (Sant Arora/HT)

As per the data shared by the Panchkula health department, 4,935 people were bitten by dogs in the first six months of 2022 alone, against the annual figures of 6,016 and 5,692 in 2021 and 2020, respectively. The figures suggest that an average 27 residents were bitten by dogs each day in the first half of the year.

Mayor Kulbhushan Goyal says: “There has been a one-and-a-half-fold increase in dig bites in the city as compared to last year.”

The officials say they are ramping up the sterilisation drive to curb the stray dog menace.

Of Pitbulls and Rottweilers

Although the authorities do not have data regarding how many people have been bitten by Pitbulls and Rottweilers, stray dogs and pet dogs, the municipal corporation (MC) has banned these two “ferocious” breeds.

“The health department has not maintained segregated data,”a health officer, who did not wish to be named said.

Reign of terror

Meanwhile, the dog menace is casting a long shadow among locals. Munish Mahajan, a resident of Sector 15, was bitten by a stray dog, while cycling. Now, he has abandoned his cycle, a cherished activity, and is getting anti-rabies vaccination.

His younger sister Vaishnavi, too, was attacked by a stray dog, but she managed to get away with just a scratch. Their father, Balbir Mahajan, says, “Now, my children are wary of stepping out. My son has already been administered three injections. Clearly, strays not pets are the bigger menace as they are attacking people without any provocation.”

Sterilisation programme on track: NGO 

Shaurya Gilhotra, who owns the NGO Bezuban, which is carrying out a sterilisation and vaccination jobs in Sukhdarshanpur says, “The programme has picked up pace. Last month, around 500 dogs were sterilised and vaccinated. We have improved the infrastructure and sorted out the power issues. Now, we catch dogs in two shifts and have tackled most complaints.”

In figures

Year Cases

June 2022 4,935

2021 6,016

2020 5,692