28 dog-bite cases a day worry Chandigarh residents

Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 6

Around 28 dog-bite cases per day on an average were reported in the city in 2020. According to the data procured from the UT Health Department, 10,558 persons were bitten by dogs in the city last year.

Though the number of cases has come down a bit compared to the past few years, there is no respite from stray dog menace. Packs of stray dogs are a common sight at parks and streets.

Suggestions not considered

The civic body had spent Rs10 lakh on organising a one-day national conference on prevention of rabies and stray dog management in September 2019. However, many suggestions made by participants were not considered. Dr Charan Kamal Singh from Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, had recommended sterilising only female dogs as well as changing dog-catching technique.

In 2019, 14,536 dog-bite cases were reported. In 2018, the number came down to 12,940, and in 2017, further dropped to 12,092.

A three-year-old child and an 80-year-old man, who were bitten by a stray dog in Sector 15, are among the recent victims of the menace. “Cases of stray dog bite are very common in our area. Packs of dogs keep following people and vehicles,” said Ankita Garg, a resident of Sector 15.

Hitesh Puri, chairman, Chandigarh Residents’ Association Welfare Federation, said: “We have been getting complaints of stray dog menace from various RWAs. The number of stray dogs continues to rise.” He added: “We do not trust the figures of the MC. It is not possible that they had sterilised so many dogs and their number is still growing. The MC should involve the RWAs concerned in sterilisation drives. They will be able to guide the MC teams better about the presence of canines in their respective areas.”

City AAP convener Prem Garg said: “Dogs get aggressive when they are thirsty or hungry. I would suggest people should leave something to eat and a bowl of water for canines outside their society areas. There are many strays in our area, but there has never been a dog-bite case here.”

The corporation claimed to have sterilised 16,300 dogs since 2015. The UT Animal Husbandry Department’s 2018 census found 12,920 stray canines in the city.

The MC Medical Officer of Health, Dr Amrit Warring, said: “Our sterilisation drive is going on effectively, otherwise the number would have been quite higher than the present figures. Since it takes time to break the existing cycle, results will come gradually.”