Canine Terror: 5,365 bitten in city last year

Sandeep Rana

Chandigarh, August 12

The city had witnessed a whopping 5,365 dog bite cases last year. The state/UT-wise data of dog bite cases was released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in a reply to a question in the Lok Sabha yesterday.

Till November 30, 2022, 4,735 dog bite cases had been reported. In 2021, the city had seen 6,306 cases of dog bite.

22,000 stray dogs sterilised: Civic body

• MC claims to have got more than 22,000 stray dogs sterilised at a cost of Rs 2.14 crore in city since 2015
• The civic body recently started an area-wise sterilisation drive for targeted results.
• To bolster its fight against the menace, MC is in the process of formulating stringent dog bylaws

Citing increasing stray dog menace in the city, BJP councillor Maheshinder Singh Sidhu had tabled agenda in this regard at the previous MC House meeting. “Despite our efforts, we could not get the desired results. We should suggest changes to the Centre in the dog bylaws so that we can have an effective mechanism in place to curb the menace, which is a big problem in the city,” he had told the MC House.

Ferocious canines of Sector 28

July 21, 2023: Domestic help Ram Kali (37) bitten by a pack of over five stray dogs in Sector 28-A

July 4: At least 4 dogs bite Sunita Aggarwal of the same sector, also got her spine injured in attack

July 2: Anita Aggarwal, out on morning walk, attacked by same pack outside a park; got her right hand injured

November, 2022: Anita Goyal attacked by four strays, while ADS Gill attacked by a dog in front of his house Prior to that, Lalit Mohan was attacked; fractured his spine and remained bed-ridden for seven months

Another councillor of the ruling party, Harpreet Kaur Babla, had slammed the corporation’s Medical Officer of Health (MOH) wing for not doing enough to contain the stray dog menace. In the wake of repeated dog bite cases in her ward, including Sector 28, she had slammed the officers concerned saying that dog-catching and sterilisation drives were a mere eyewash and there was no proper support system for dog bite patients at some hospitals.

The civic body claimed many cases are from the neighbouring cities. However, the corporation is in the process of formulating stringent dog bylaws. “There are certain things that need to be approved by the Centre. But we are working, at least, on making changes that can be done at the administrative level only,” said a senior MC officer.