Court to IMC: Set up Devguradia shelter, step up sterilisation

IMC may soon develop a shelter for housing rabid dogs at a 2-acre tract at Devguradia. It will also have to step up the pace of sterilising stray curs from the existing 20-25 per day to 100 in the near future.

The civic body may soon develop a shelter for housing rabid dogs at a 2-acre tract at Devguradia. It will also have to step up the pace of sterilising stray curs from the existing 20-25 per day to 100 in the near future and 200 per day by January 2015.

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The abovementioned steps were suggested by the Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh high court during a hearing on a PIL filed against the rise in the number of dog-bite cases.

The court also directed the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) to survey the entire area within municipal limits and submit a report on the number of stray dogs and listing how many bitches have been sterilised so far.

The corporation has to submit the report in six weeks. The survey directive was apparently prompted by uncertainty over the exact number of strays that roam the city streets.

In its order signed on Tuesday the HC observed that nearly 10,000 people were bitten by dogs in 2010 and the figure climbed to 16,000 in 2013. Around 11,862 people were bitten by dogs till July 2014, the order added.

The city is witnessing an increase in dog bite cases but there is no clarity over the number of stray dogs. The counsellor for the petitioner Piyush Mathur and Amitabh Upadhaya said the IMC has come up with several action plans since the PIL was filed but had failed to take concrete steps to deal with the menace. The HC suggested that the corporation procure four vehicles for the dog-catcher squad within one month.

"The data on dog-bite cases we submitted in court were collected by my associates from Lal Hospital (Hukumchand Polyclinic, a government-owned facility)," Upadhyaya told Hindustan Times. The court suggested that IMC increase the sterilisation rate and said this could be done by enlisting the assistance of more NGOs.

"There was a suggestion that volunteers from Mhow Veterinary College be involved in the sterilisation programme and this was included in the court's order," said Upadhyaya.

The HC also asked the IMC to ensure proposal disposal of waste from meat shops and take action against shopkeepers for failing to comply with the instruction.