Stray dogs terrorise Dera Bassi residents

Satinder Pal Singh

Dera Bassi, April 24

Dog-bite cases are on the rise in Dera Bassi and surrounding areas, exposing citizens to the deadly rabies virus as the Municipal Council as well the local administration have failed to control the stray dog population and a proposal of a dog pound is still a distant dream.

The number of dog-bite cases is only seeing a rise as the administration lacks proper arrangements to curb the hazard. On the other hand, MC officials did not have any data about the registration of pet dogs as well stray dogs in the city.

The stray dog menace in the city had taken an alarming proportion with over 10 cases of dog bites are being reported at the local Civil Hospital each day.

The Civil Hospital reported 318 dog bite cases from January 2017 till March.

Local residents said in the absence of a focused sterilisation campaign, the stray dog population in the city was on the rise and the Civil Hospital, on an average, was receiving as many 10 dog-bite cases daily.

Residents alleged that the number of stray dogs had constantly been rising, with the Municipal Corporation doing little to curb the menace.

The sheer extent of the stray dog menace can be gauged from the fact that in March 2017, as many as 119 dog-bite cases were reported at the Civil Hospital.

According to the data available from the Civil Hospital, in January, 89 cases of dog bites were reported. While in February and March, the figure touched 110 and 119, respectively.

Sources from the Dera Bassi Civil Hospital claimed that though the cases were increasing steadily, the situation had not become worse but was under control.

“We have vaccines and injections available for dog-bite victims. But we need to focus on educating people about dog care and how to handle them. People should not get into unnecessary fights with dogs as it irritates them and they lose their temper,” said Mohinder Singh, SMO, Dera Bassi.

“Panic due to stray dogs has spread across our locality and residents do not step out after sunset due to the same. The officials concerned must take measures to take these dogs off streets as they had become a threat to residents,” said Vasudev, a local resident.

The rising number of canines in the city is visible from their packs roaming in the city.

“We fear sending our children outside house. Either the government should allow people to find a solution or the government should do something,” said Sarita Rani, a resident of Dasmesh Nagar.

The situation the rural belt is facing is also grim. The stray dog menace is increasing. Stray dogs living near meat plants in the city where animal carcasses are dumped and skinned are most fearsome. They have made life hell for village residents who claim that these canines hunt in packs and people fear walking alone, especially in the evening.

Rattan Singh, a resident of Behra village, said the situation was alarming in the rural belt. Unfortunately, there were no plans from the government side to deal with the peril.

The government and the authorities often formulate policies to eradicate the problem by controlling the population of the dogs by sterilisation, but every time policies remain on paper in the face of financial constraints. And people continue to be victims of dog bites.

Ranbir Singh, Executive Officer of Dera Bassi, said: “The process of sterilisation of dogs is usually outsourced. As of now, we have no solution in hand.”

He said earlier also, they tried to start the process of sterilisation with the help of the Animal Husbandry Department but it yielded no results. We, along with the Animal Husbandry Department, were trying to find some way out to tackle the hazard.

119 cases in March alone

Residents alleged that the number of stray dogs had constantly been rising, with the Municipal Corporation doing little to curb the menace. The sheer extent of the stray dog menace can be gauged from the fact that in March 2017, as many as 119 dog-bite cases were reported at the Civil Hospital.