Dogged by strays, Chandigarh residents say sterilisation drive only on paper

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 7

Even as the Municipal Corporation claims to have sterilised a large number of dogs, residents rue that the number of stray canines is growing in their localities and they are facing trouble due to the growing menace.

Many residents feel the sterilisation is only on paper as they do not see much impact of the campaign on the ground.

“The sterilisation drive is only on paper; otherwise, why is the number of stray dogs multiplying. In our Shivalik Park, earlier there were two dogs, now there are six to eight. A dog in our locality chases motorists, at times resulting in accidents. The MC says it cannot take these away. They must shift such dogs to a dog pound,” said Col Gursewak Singh, president, RWA, Modern Housing Complex (MHC), Mani Majra.

Hitesh Puri, chairman of CRAWFED, an umbrella body of RWAs, said, “We have been suggesting that the RWAs should be involved in sterilisation drives. Why do they shy away from it? Not only will locals give inputs about dogs in their area, it will also allay the doubts on the authenticity of such drives.”

Councillor Saurabh Joshi has suggested that ratherthan a cut mark on the dogs’ ears after sterilisation, the MC should put a colour around those sterilised. Then even locals will be able to identify them.

On this, MC Commissioner Anindita Mitra said, “Yes, we can do much better. A fresh tender shall include not just sterilisation but also deworming and vaccination. We are trying to learn from the good practices of other states. Also, we plan to do area-based micro management this time for maximum impact.”

The MC has claimed to have sterilised about 20,000 dogs (till August last year) since 2015 when sterilisation started in the city.

On the other hand, a census conducted by the UT Animal Husbandry Department in 2018 had found 12,920 stray dogs in the city.

Stray dogs chasing motorists is a common scene in most sectors. Dog-bite cases continue unabated. Around 30 cases on an average are reported daily. Some of these cases come from neighbouring towns.

Meanwhile, the MC is going slow on completing the animal birth control centre at Raipur Kalan.

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