Stray dog menace: Civic body tackling hundreds of complaints with one vehicle
Issue reflects poor planning, lack of accountability, say social activists
The growing menace of stray dogs has sparked concern among residents, with complaints being received by the Municipal Corporation daily. Despite the rising number of incidents related to stray canine, the civic body has only one vehicle and a handful of staff to catch them, leaving residents worried.
City residents say the situation has worsened in recent months. In January alone, 1,402 persons visited the Civil Hospital for anti-rabies vaccination.
The corporation admits to having only one dog-catching van, which is inadequate for such a big city. A senior official from the MC admitted that they have only one dog catching van and it proves inadequate for the city. Officials claim they were working on expanding facilities but residents remain unconvinced.
“I once registered a complaint with the Municipal Corporation to pick up a dog from our street that was probably rabid. The van only came in the evening and the official kept repeating that it had gone to another area. By the time the van reached, it had already bitten 10 persons in the area,” said a resident of Model Gram.
“We are scared to let our children play outside. Every street has groups of stray dogs and they chase people even during daytime. Calls to the MC for some solution often end in disappointment,” said Sunita, a resident of Subhash Nagar.
“Customers hesitate to come in the evening as dogs gather near the market. We’ve complained many times but nothing changes. Once the civic body picked dogs but dropped them back again after sterilisation,” remarked Rajesh Kumar, who runs a grocery store at Shimlapuri.
“We hear promises every year but the ground reality remains the same. One van cannot handle thousands of complaints,” said Ramesh Singh, a retired teacher.
Social activists argue that the issue reflects poor planning and lack of accountability. “It is not only about dogs but also governance. The corporation must invest in infrastructure, sterilisation programmes and awareness campaigns,” said activist Anil Mehta.
