Stray dogs unleash terror on streets

Parveen Arora

Karnal, April 2

As per the survey conducted by the Municipal Corporation (MC), Karnal, over 15,000 stray dogs in the city have been unleashing fear among residents. The terror of stray dogs has intensified to an extent that people in most areas avoid stepping out of their houses at night. The dogs not only bark at passers-by but also chase and bite them, often leading to serious accidents.

To take up Sterilisation

The Budget passed on March 28 has a provision of Rs 2.5 crore to sterilise and vaccinate stray dogs. The process to float tender is underway. Abhishek Meena, Municipal Commissioner

The data of the Civil Hospital revealed that on an average 15 to 20 new cases of dog bite are reported every day. Also, 70 to 80 anti-rabies vaccine doses and two to three anti-rabies serum cases are administered daily at the hospital.

The residents blame the civic body for not taking steps to sterilise stray dogs even after raising multiple complaints with the authorities.

“The population of stray dogs is on the rise in the city. The MC authorities have failed to keep a check on the growing stray dog menace. Innumerable puppies can be seen roaming in various localities, left unsterilised and creating fear among the residents,” said Ashish Popli, a city resident.

Amit Bhatia, another resident, said several incidents of dog attack have been reported, but the civic body did not initiate any step against it in the past several months.

As per an MC official, the last sterilisation and vaccination drive was conducted in 2020-21, which came to a halt during the pandemic. Thereafter, no such drive was carried out in the city, he added.

Authorities say a massive sterilisation drive will be launched to cover over 15,000 stray dogs in the coming days. “We have kept a provision of Rs 2.5 crore in the Budget passed on March 28 to sterilise and vaccinate stray dogs. The process to float tender is underway,” said Abhishek Meena, Municipal Commissioner.