Around 320 dog-bite cases have been reported during the first four months of the year 2018 in Nabha, Punjab. According to the local Civil Hospital data, on an average 80 new dog-bite cases have been reported per month.
Approx. 10 to 12 cases were being reported daily from rural areas. There has been a rise due to the increase in temperature and interestingly,
Dharampal Sharma, a city resident and social activist, said, “Influential people prefer to go to private clinics due to the cumbersome procedure at government hospitals, such cases did not reflect in the government data.”
Children are scared to play in the open and people fear moving out due to the presence of dogs in various areas. The administration should start a sterilisation programme to check the population of the canines in the area.
Recently, a case of seven-year-old boy attacked and mauled to death by around 12 stray dogs in Thuhi village appeared.
Another city resident, Rajinder Singh Sidhu said, “ Only sterilising dogs was not the solution. District administration should set up canine homes where these stray dogs could be kept and sterilised to check their population.”
Executive Officer MC Mohit Sharma, said, “Earlier they had sterilised the dogs with the help of an NGO. They would again seek help to sterilise stray dogs to check their population. The government should set up canine homes where they could be kept.”
MC president Rajneesh Jindal said they had earlier started a sterilisation programme and caught animals to drop them at secluded places. However, the MC had to face problems as animal lovers had lodged cases against them. He said the recent dog-bite incident in which a boy lost his life was shocking, adding that the state government or the Central Government should take up an initiative to tackle the menace.
Reference: The Tribune
Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!