11,000 bite cases last year, yet MC clueless about dog count

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Mohali, April 14

Even as the Municipal Corporation works out modalities to restart its dog sterilisation drive, which has been halted since 2021, it lacks data about the exact number of stray and pet canines in the district.

It has been years since the Mohali Municipal Corporation carried out a dog census to know the exact count of stray and pet dogs. As such, there is no area-wise count of dogs that need to be sterilised even as the peak summer season approaches. There has been no sterilisation drive in the district since September 2021 when the contract of the agency hired for the purpose ended.

Let alone stray dogs, the exact number of pet dogs remains unclear as registration process of such animals in the civic body has remained a non-starter.

According to the MC records, 2,356 dogs were sterilised from April 22, 2015, till February 23, 2017. The district had witnessed dog bite cases 11,077 last year, pointing to the alarming level the menace has acquired.

“The MC officials are working to resolve the issue as soon as possible. It is a priority for us,” says a senior MC official.

Representatives of residents’ welfare associations and Market Committee say a visit to residential areas and parking lots of marketplaces suggests the magnitude of the problem. City parks, garbage collection centres and dumping ground have become a breeding ground for stray canines.

Harshinder Kaur, a Phase 9 resident, says: “It is risky to go to the park for a morning walk without a stick in hand. You never know when a dog might attack you. More than stray dogs, it is the unleashed pet dogs of ferocious breeds that morning walkers are scared of the most.”

In market areas, eateries offer abundant leftovers and shelter to them. On an average, 30 cases of dog bites are being reported on a daily basis. As per the new government notification, the MC will have to maintain a month-wise record of dog-bite cases, number of stray and feral dogs on its website for public and issue a toll-free number and an email ID where people can register complaints.