PMC to conduct stray dog census in the city

Civic body’s health department head Vaishali Jadhav confirmed to Hindustan Times that the PMC is appointing an agency in the city to carry out a census of dogs in the city

Following the complaints over an alarming rise in the population of stray dogs and dog bite cases, the Pune Municipal Corporation has decided to carry out a scientific survey of the dogs in the city.

Civic body’s health department head Vaishali Jadhav confirmed to Hindustan Times that the PMC is appointing an agency in the city to carry out a census of dogs in the city and very soon a work order will be issued to the agency for it.

As per the old municipal records, there are only 40,000 stray dogs in the city and this number has been on the rise for the last few years. Sources in the civic administration said the numbers were not very authentic.

Municipal administrations as well elected members are accepting that the stray dog numbers in the city is around one lakh. The standing committee members on Wednesday discussed this issue.

All the members, including standing committee chairman Murlidhar Mohol, raised the question about the sterilisation programme. Standing committee appointed four agencies for vaccination and sterilisation.

Mohol told Hindustan Times that for the last many years the civic body is spending lakhs of rupees on sterilisation and vaccination programmes but the number of dogs in the city is not coming down.

There are two opposite views among citizens on this issue. Dog lovers are very aggressive at the same time there are many people in the city who hate the stray dogs. In this situation, it is very difficult for the PMC to solve this issue.

The standing committee on Wednesday approved four dog shelters in the city which would be built in different parts of the city.

Administration offiials said that it is looking very difficult to execute this resolution as the government’s guidelines are different. As per the act, it is mandatory to release the stray dogs in the same locality from where they were picked up.

BOX

Dog bite cases in the city

Year / Dog bite cases

2010 – 11,523

2011- 12,840

2012- 12,731

2013- 13,668

2014- 12,131

2015- 18,567

2016 – Not available, but administration says that it is an average of 1,200 cases per month