As Shimla municipal authorities hunt for land to house stray dogs, members of the Shimla Nagrik Sabha, agitated over an incident where a two-year-old girl sustained injuries in a stray dog attack, submitted a memorandum to the community health officer (CHO) on Tuesday seeking corrective measures within seven days, failing which the citizen forum warned of a major agitation.
According to the girl’s father, Ramandeep, the incident occurred on Sunday evening when his daughter was playing in the courtyard of their house in the Shankli area.
He said when the toddler moved towards the entrance gate, two stray dogs passing through the area attacked her, bit her and dragged her for nearly 20 to 30 metres.
He said that the dogs attempted to drag the girl towards a nearby forest area. However, her screams alerted neighbours, who rushed to the spot and drove the animals away by throwing stones and rescued the girl.
The toddler sustained multiple injuries to her face, back, legs, and other parts of her body. She was rushed to Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), where she is undergoing treatment, Ramandeep said.
The Nagarik Sabha in the memorandum has demanded that the MC or the administration bear the entire cost of the injured child’s treatment and provide compensation of ₹2 lakh to the affected family.
{{/usCountry}}The Nagarik Sabha in the memorandum has demanded that the MC or the administration bear the entire cost of the injured child’s treatment and provide compensation of ₹2 lakh to the affected family.
{{/usCountry}}The Nagarik Sabha siad that the menace of dogs, monkeys, and langurs in Shimla city is becoming increasingly serious and demanded a special animal birth control (ABC) and rabies vaccination drive, the establishment of at least five effective ABC centres, designated feeding points, action against aggressive dogs in accordance with regulations, an emergency helpline, ward-level monitoring committees, and the public disclosure of the MC’s action reports.
Additionally, a demand was made to constitute a joint high-level committee comprising the MC, forest department, animal husbandry department, and district administration to find a permanent solution to the problem of dogs, monkeys, and langurs.
The Shimla Nagrik Sabha also demanded action against individuals who feed dogs on the city streets. Addressing the issue, Shimla MC mayor Surender Chauhan said that he has instructed the commissioner to identify a suitable site within a week where these dogs could be housed.
He noted that the corporation had previously kept dogs at the Tutikandi dog shelter, but certain NGOs had alleged at the time that the animals were being killed.
He added that a hearing regarding this matter is scheduled in the high court in October. The corporation intends to present its case strongly, advocating that once a dog is captured, it should be allowed to remain at the designated shelter.