No steps taken to check rising dog bite cases

Tribune News Service

Harshraj Singh

Ludhiana, April 19

Despite the rising number of dog-bite cases, the government authorities concerned have failed to address the issue, leaving residents of various localities in the city to deal with the menace of stray dogs.

According to data collected from the Civil Hospital, Ludhiana, an average of 52 new cases of dog bite were reported daily in the district last year, with a total of 19,043 cases reported in 2022. However, as there is no available data on cases where patients sought treatment for dog bites at private hospitals or clinics, the actual number of cases may be even higher.

Residents of Urban Vihar near Dugri expressed their disappointment with the Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana, and their elected representatives for failing to resolve their complaints. Despite having complained to the civic body multiple times regarding the rising stray dog-bite cases in their area, they have received no relief. “A woman who was attacked by a stray dog recently had to undergo another surgery yesterday. The dog had separated a part of her thigh in the attack. Her injury has not healed yet,” said a resident.

“We also submitted a complaint to the office of the MC Commissioner last month regarding the dog-bite cases. An aggressive stray dog has attacked many residents in the area. But none of the civic body officials or elected representatives felt the need to visit our area to date. We don’t say that all stray dogs attack people. We requested the authorities to observe the stray dog that attacked many people, including children. As complaints to the civic body fell on deaf ears, we are now planning to move the Punjab & Haryana High Court,” said Urban Vihar resident Jaspal Singh Tiger.

Residents of Ghumar Mandi, BRS Nagar, Jawahar Nagar camp, Model Town and several other areas have also shared concern about the menace, demanding that the government should take necessary steps to prevent stray dog bite incidents. Also, people in old city areas complained about the dog-bite incidents. “In several parts of the old city,

people avoid walking through streets at night due to the fear of encountering stray dogs,” a resident of Roopa Mistri Street said.

Paramjit Singh, president of a shopkeepers’ association on Malhar Road, said they had raised the issue of during a meeting with the administration and the MC authorities last year but no action had been taken to provide relief to the people to date.

Former councillor from Ward 46 Harbhajan Singh Dang said dog-bite cases were common in areas such as Model Town, Model Town Extension and nearby localities in the ward. The matter had been raised many times but it had not been addressed to date. The government should construct shelters for stray dogs to prevent dog-bite incidents.

However, MC’s Joint Commissioner Kulpreet Singh and MLA Kulwant Singh Sidhu did not respond to any phone call.

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