Despite 1,500 dog-bite cases in Gurugram this year, RWAs yet to finalise feeding points
Sumedha Sharma
Gurugram, February 21
With around 1,500 dog-bite cases recorded in the district this year so far, residents are haunted by the ever-increasing number of dog-bite cases. But despite the concerning surge in dog-bites, residents’ welfare associations (RWAs) in the city have failed to finalise feeding points.
The Gurugram Municipal Corporation had asked the RWAs to consult residents and finalise feeding points for stray dogs to ensure they did not loiter around in the entire area and attacked residents.
The RWAs were given a period of two weeks to finalise feeding points, but not even a single RWA has submitted the list to the Gurugram MC so far.
While over 1,000 dog-bite cases have been reported so far, around 1,244 persons went to take anti-rabies vaccination in government hospitals. A majority of these were children and senior citizens. The average number of daily cases has almost doubled this year.
Gurugram MC Commissioner Narhari Singh Banger told The Tribune, “We are still waiting for the list of feeding points to approve it and start the strict implementation of feeding at designated points.”
“A majority of RWAs complain about residents feeding strays randomly across residential areas, leading to cases of dog attack and had demanded our intervention. However, they have failed to provide us the list on their part. We are issuing a reminder to them in this regard,” he added.
However, in response, Praveen Yadav, president of the United Gurugram RWAs, said they were struggling to strike a consensus on feeding spots. “First of all, we are yet to convince people that the practice of randomly feeding dogs wherever they want is not their right,” said Yadav.
“A majority of the residents are opposing the move and there is no consensus over the location of feeding points. We are trying to keep them away from parks and will be finalising these soon,” he added.
Banger has also ordered the review of registration of pet dogs in the city which continues to move at a snail’s pace. According to the Gurugram MC records, only 2,000 of the expected 10,000 pet dogs have been registered so far. Even a majority of these owners have not updated the pet records.
Besides, only 1,000 pet owners have smart cards so far. Banger has asked the local RWAs to ensure that all the pets in their societies are registered and submit a list of defaulters to ensure action under the bylaws.
He said, “Pet owners have been given enough time, but a majority of them are yet to get their pets registered. Many people have even kept two to three dogs without any registration or smart cards.”
“People must follow rules in view of others’ safety. We have asked RWAs to get all the pets in their area registered. We all need to come together to resolve the problem of dog-attacks,” added Banger.
