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90 dog bite cases a day, canine menace hounds Chandigarh
The number of stray dogs has also gone up in the last four years, according to official records. In a survey conducted by the animal husbandry department in 2018, there were as many as 12,000 stray dogs on city streets, while now, the number has gone up to 16,000.
The Chandigarh municipal corporation (MC) is struggling to put a leash on the stray dog menace, with at least 90 dog bite cases being reported at the two rabies clinics of the city – the Sector 19 and 38 civil dispensaries – every day.
The number of stray dogs has also gone up in the last four years, according to official records. In a survey conducted by the animal husbandry department in 2018, there were as many as 12,000 stray dogs on city streets, while now, the number has gone up to 16,000.
Medical officer health Dr Vinay Mohan said, “We started the sterilisation programme in July last year after a gap of nearly a year. Now, we are sterilising around 200 dogs a month. We have got two more vehicles now and things will be streamlined now.”
Another senior officer of MOH said around 90 dog bite cases are reported every day in the two rabies dispensaries of the city. “We cannot do much as we have to sterilise them and leave them in their area,” he said.
The cases involve around 300 dog bite cases involving pets every month.
In 2017, Punjab and Haryana high court had asked the administration why dog bite cases continue to surface when the latter were claiming to carry out sterilisation drives and other programmes.
“I am not interested in data. You show me what you have done to curb the menace,” the HC bench said as UT claimed that 9,000 dogs have been sterilised, which would help control their population,” judge said.
What they say?
The sterilisation programme has picked pace now. I will soon be holding a meeting with the MOH and seek a report on this.
Anup Gupta, mayor
Residents are scared but the authorities remain helpless as the existing laws prohibit them from doing anything apart from sterilisation.
Baljinder Singh Bittu, chairman, Federation of Sectors Welfare Associations, Chandigarh
