Stray dog bites on the rise, but Mohali MC in no hurry to check their population

Seven months after the contract of the previous agency handling the stray dog sterilisation project ended in September 2021, Mohali MC has failed to appoint a new firm to stem the rising dog population

A whopping 2,287 incidents of stray dog bites have surfaced across Mohali in March and April alone, but have failed to wake up the municipal corporation (MC) from its slumber.

With no agency available to continue the stray dog sterilisation project in Mohali, their population continues to grow and has translated into 3,787 more dog bite cases till April 30, 2022, with 2,287 being reported in just the past two months. (HT File Photo)

Seven months after the contract of the previous agency handling the stray dog sterilisation project ended in September 2021, MC has failed to appoint a new firm to stem the rising dog population, allowing dog bite cases to multiply manifold.

According to the data available with the district health department, 1,970 cases of stray dog bites were reported in Mohali in 2017, a number that jumped to 8,445 in the four years till 2021 – an over four-fold spike.

With no agency available to continue the stray dog sterilisation project, their population continues to grow and has translated into 3,787 more dog bite cases till April 30, 2022, with 2,287 being reported in just the past two months.

As per data shared in MC House meetings, the stray dog population in Mohali increased by approximately 1,000 between 2020 and 2021. While there were around 10,000 stray canines in Mohali in June 2020, by the end of 2021, their number grew to over 11,000.

“We floated a tender and one firm applied for it, but we are waiting for a nod from the Animal Welfare Board of India, as the firm can be finalised only if it’s recognised by the board,” said MC commissioner Kamal Kumar Garg.

Mohali’s deputy mayor Kuljeet Singh Bedi said they had also written to the central government to relax the tender norms, so that the firm can be finalised soon and sterilisation project can resume at the earliest.

“Stray dog population has increased manifold over the years. They fight and bite residents, who are afraid of even letting their children play outside,” said Sardul Singh Poonian, president, Resident Welfare Association, Sector 80.