Poor victims look to MC for help

Rajinder Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 24

Dog-bite victims in Sector 15 have sought financial assistance from the MC. Being poor, they are finding it difficult to meet the cost of treatment and their daily expenses.

A rickshaw-puller, Virender Gupta, has not been able to run his rickshaw since Saturday morning when a stray dog attacked him.

“I need money for the remaining three injections, and will have to take the help of my friends. The MC should provide financial assistance to the victims,” he demanded.

Echoing similar views, motor mechanic Mohammad Irshad, who was also attacked by the same dog, said though he had a swollen leg, being a private employee, he could not take rest. “I also want to take rest, but if I do that, how will I manage my family,” said Irshad.

“The least the MC can do is to pay for the treatment,” he said. Another victim, Kanhaiya, an MC public toilet worker, said though it appeared that Rs 150 was not a big amount, for a poor person like him, even managing this was difficult.

MC’s position clear: No relief

The MC, at a meeting of the Finance and Contract Committee in 2015, had made it clear that the civic body would not provide any kind of financial assistance to stray dog-bite victims. In 2014, the UT had informed the HC that compensating dog-bite victims would put an additional financial pressure on the Administration and the MC.