Kurukshetra confronts stray dog menace

Vishal Joshi

The stray dog menace in Kurukshetra has become a serious issue. Residents complain that the local municipal authorities and the district administration are not taking steps to address the problem.

According to district health officials, two cases of dog bite are received at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Civil Hospital (LNJPCH) every day. “The stray dog menace is an issue in Kurukshetra and we treat about 70 dog bite victims every month. The LNJP Civil Hospital and other health facilities in the district are well equipped with anti-rabies vaccines. There has been no recent case of fatal dog bite at the civil hospital,” says Dr SS Arora, Resident Medical Officer at LNJPCH.

Stray dogs in groups can be seen roaming around and scavenging heaps of garbage for eatables. Sumit Sharma, a resident of Sector 13, says that the number of dogs roaming in streets in the city appears to have risen rapidly, making people, particularly elderly and school-going children, fearful.

According to a veterinarian, the population of stray dogs should be one fifth of the human population in urban and rural areas. “There are no exact details on the stray dog population in the city but it is considerably high, particularly in residential sectors,” says the official.

Chetan Garg, a resident of Sector 3, says that stray dogs are posing a  threat to local residents and the authorities concerned should chalk out a comprehensive plan to curb it.

Uma Sudha, chairperson of the Thanesar Municipal Council, admits that complaints of stray dogs biting people are coming from various parts of Kurukshetra city.