Plan to make Sirsa schools, hospitals stray dog-free

The authorities in Sirsa have decided to take stern steps to make schools, hospitals, and other institutions free of street dogs. Nodal officers will be appointed for better implementation of the plan, and a helpline number will be launched so that residents can file complaints about the stray dog issues.

The directions were given by Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Virender Sehrawat during a meeting on Thursday about the effective enforcement of the Animal Control Act, 2023. The officials discussed action plans to keep educational and health institutions safe from street dogs.

The ADC said that nodal officers would be appointed in every institution concerned to ensure that no stray dogs were present on their premises. He added that the schools and other institutions must build proper boundary walls to prevent dogs from entering. Each institution will also have to submit a certificate to the Municipal Council confirming that it is “street-dog free.”

To control the rising number of stray dogs, the Municipal Council will soon appoint an agency to catch dogs roaming on the streets. The captured dogs will be sterilised and vaccinated to control their population and prevent diseases such as rabies.

Sehrawat said if a dog bites someone, it will be shifted immediately from that area to a specially designed shelter home. Each municipal area will have one such shelter to handle such cases effectively. He added that these measures aimed at ensuring public safety while maintaining animal welfare.

The ADC also directed the officials to launch a helpline number for public complaints about stray dogs and to conduct awareness programmes in the schools. He appealed to the residents not to feed dogs in public places, saying such actions were prohibited.

District Education Officer Sunita Sai, Dabwali EO Surender Kumar, Sirsa EO Sunil Kumar, Chief Sanitation Inspector Jaibir Singh, SDO Animal Husbandry Surender Singh, and other municipal and departmental officials attended the meeting.