Stray dog bites 13 in Mani Majra

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 25

In a freak incident, 13 persons, including seven children, were bitten by a stray dog at Pipliwala town in  Mani Majra here this afternoon.

While 12 patients, including six children, were rushed to the civil dispensary in Sector 19 (which is designated to handle rabid bite cases), a six-year-old girl, Sadia, was rushed to the PGI as she was bitten on her lips and is scheduled to undergo plastic surgery  on Thursday.

Of the six children at the dispensary, a 10-year-old girl, Laxmi, received three stitches on the head.

Playing in a neigbourhood park in Pipliwala town this afternoon turned out to be a nightmare for these children. Their loud cries rocked the civic dispensary as anti-rabies injections were administered on their wounds.

Seeing her trauma while the injection was being administered to her, Laxmi’s father fainted. Though all patients were gradually stabilised, parents were in deep trauma seeing their children cry in pain at the dispensary.

The other children included Piyush (10), bitten on the right arm, Kumkum (5), bitten on the back, Kashish (8), bitten on the back, Khushi (7) and Ahat (5), bitten on the right arm.

“The dog entered our house as the main door was open  and bit my wife on the right arm,” said Parveen Gupta, husband of the victim, Anjali Gupta (43).

Six-year-old Sadia is at the Advanced Trauma Centre of the PGI. She is unable to take any solid or liquid diet as her lips are bandaged. “She was bleeding, unable to speak. Tears rolled down her cheeks. We were unable to find the anti-rabies injection, prescribed by the doctors, in shops in and around the PGI. We have been asked to wait until tomorrow for doctors to arrange the injection,” said Ishaan, Sadia’s maternal uncle.

A grim reminder of last year’s cases

In May last year, a locality in Sector 20-A was rattled by a series of dog bite cases that left around 30 residents, including three children, injured.

Assn writes to Mayor

Two agendas will come up in a meeting of the Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC) of the MC, which is scheduled for Thursday.

The Persons with Disabilities Association, Chandigarh, has written to the Mayor to direct officials to ensure that people do not bring their dogs to parks as well as residential areas for the safety of the elderly, children and the differently abled. Besides, the Chandigarh Pet Lovers Association has sought permission for breeding and trading of dogs in the city, which is banned by the UT Administration. 

Number of stray dogs up

In 2007, the number was 5,713. In the census conducted by the UT Animal Husbandry Department in 2013, the figure increased to 7,847.

What rules stipulate

The Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules-2000 (ABC Rules) prescribe a ban on killing stray dogs, even ferocious ones. In the past five years, 6,948 dogs have been sterilised and vaccinated against rabies. The Administration has banned commercial breeding of dogs in the city.

Dog pounds nowhere in sight in city

In January 2009, the UT Administration had announced to set up two dog pounds at the Animal Birth Control Hospital to free the city of the stray dog menace. However, so far, no headway has been made.

First aid in case of a dog bite

Flush the injured part for at least five minutes, allowing water to run into the dog bite wound. 

Don’t rub the wound.

Only anti-septic solutions such as betadine should be applied on the wound.