Patiala Admn mulls WhatsApp chatbot to gather info on dog-bite cases

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Patiala, December 7

The district administration is planning to create a WhatsApp chatbot to maintain the data of dog-bite cases in the city. Instructions in this regard were issued during a meeting to discuss ways to control the stray dog population.

Initiating an anti-rabies vaccination (ARV) programme in Patiala, Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney said the WhatsApp chatbot would consolidate information on dog-bite cases in the district, especially where such incidents were on the rise. As a part of the animal birth control (ABC) programme, aimed at curbing the dog population, a team, including officials from the Municipal Corporation, Animal Husbandry Department, Health Department and Dr Prapti Bajaj, Campaign Director, Compassion for Animals Welfare Association, conducted a survey on the birth rate of dogs.

The Deputy Commissioner also discussed the possibility of initiating a mobile sterilisation facility for timely response. She emphasised that the programme should be intensified in areas where dog-bite cases were frequent.

Based on information from the Health Department, Sawhney directed that anti-rabies vaccine and serum should be made available in all hospitals in the district every Sunday. She reviewed the ABC programme in Patiala, other municipal councils and urban panchayats.

She also stressed the need for prompt identification, testing, isolation of infected dogs and proper disposal of their carcass.