Nearly 60,000 stray dogs in Punjab, maximum in Ludhiana, HC told

The Punjab government on Friday told the Punjab and Haryana high court that state had an identified stray dog population of 59,806 dogs.

The Punjab government on Friday told the Punjab and Haryana high court that state had an identified stray dog population of 59,806 dogs.

Punjab deputy advocate general Gaurav Garg Dhuriwala in an affidavit told the high court bench of justice SK Mittal and justice Rekha Mittal that the highest stray dog population recorded was in the Ludhiana municipal corporation (25,000) followed by the Amritsar municipal corporation (9,782). Only 167 stray dogs were identified in the Phagwara municipal corporation. The figures given to high court are up to July 6, 2015. In municipal limits, the stray dog population was 42,341, while in other areas the figure was 17,465.

The high court has also been told that a policy to deal with the menace of stray dogs was in place since 2013. All deputy commissioners and municipal commissioners, through a recent communication, had been directed to implement the policy with regard to stray dogs in letter and spirit, the court was told. Delinquent officials will face action, the state government assured the court.

The affidavit was filed by the government as per the high court order that had initiated suo motu proceedings on a letter by a class-7 Mohali resident, who had submitted that he was unable to go out and play as there were many stray dogs in his locality.

In the letter to the high court chief justice in April, the student had written that his residential area had 30 to 40 stray dogs and children were afraid to venture out. The next hearing in the case is on January 19.