Stray Dogs Menace Will Not Be An Issue In Patiala Anymore

Patiala Municipal Corporation and the district administration have decided to come up with a plan to control stray dogs menace in the city.

Stray dog bite cases

According to the data collected by the district health department, during the first 5 months of the year, around 31 people were reported to have been bitten daily. From January to May, the overall figure of dog-bite cases was 4,791. At least, 967 were reported in May only.  As compared to last year, the number of bite cases has increased dramatically in the district.

Deputy Commissioner, Kumar Amit discussed the matter with corporation commissioner Gurpreet Singh Khaira to prepare a plan for animal birth control (ABC) programme in the city and other areas of the district.

“It is a serious issue and we are already on the job of chalking out a plan to control the canine population,” the DC said.

The civic body has been asked to revamp its ABC programme for stray dogs. The drive will be implemented in the district with the help of the animal husbandry department.

The Municipal Corporation is already running a dog sterilization drive, but it has remained unsuccessful so far.  The corporation’s executive engineer, Rajinder Chopra said at least 2,300 dogs have been sterilized in the past two years. The civic body has been paying Rs. 740 per dog under the sterilization programme.

Earlier controversy

In 2015, the ABC programme run by the corporation was cancelled after animal rights activist and Union minister Maneka Gandhi, and the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) accused the NGO, assigned for the task, for not using proper sterilization techniques and ignoring rules.

Under the Union ministry of environment and forests, AWBI, alleged that sterilized stray dogs were left without proper post-operative care in violation of the ABC rules.

Maneka Gandhi had called up senior officials and asked them to take action against the NGO saying its members were not trained for the job. She had alleged that the dogs “thrown back” to the streets after sterilization had gaping wounds and stitches that came apart.

She also claimed that to save money, dogs were often operated upon without anaesthesia, and doctors used inferior material for stitches. Following the controversy, the NGO abandoned the drive in-between.

Let’s hope things go as per plan this time and stray dog menace issue get resolved in the district of Patiala forever.

Reference: hindustan times

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