UT sub-panel recommends relief in 81 dog bite cases

The sub-committee for providing compensation to the victims of dog bite or accidents caused by stray cattle and animals has recommended to the UT Administration to provide relief in 81 cases. All approved cases pertain to canine attacks.

During a meeting, which was chaired by Nishant Kumar Yadav, Deputy Commissioner-cum-Chairman of the sub-committee, 116 cases were reviewed and 81 of these were recommended for compensation as per a notification issued on July 2 this year. The remaining cases are currently under verification and will be presented to the sub-committee after the verification process is completed.

The panel has received around 220 applications for claims and nearly 200 of these pertain to dog bites, and the remaining are related to accidents caused by stray cattle.

The MC Joint Commissioner, the Medical Superintendent of Government Multi-Speciality Hospital, Sector 16, the Assistant Superintendent of Police (Traffic) and the Nodal Officer, Dog Control Cell, MC, are members of the sub-committee.

Yadav directed all sub-committee members to ensure that any new compensation applications received in their offices were forwarded to the office of the Deputy Commissioner or the Municipal Corporation. This will allow such cases to be included in the list and placed before the sub-committee for a decision.

The sub-committee operates under a committee notified by the Department of Local Government, UT, as per the notification dated July 2 this year, issued in compliance with directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The compensation to be awarded by the committee follows the policy framed by the state of Punjab. Under the policy, in the event of death, the legal heirs of the deceased are entitled to a compensation of Rs 5 lakh. For permanent incapacitation, the compensation amount is Rs 2 lakh. In cases of injury, the amount of compensation will be assessed by the committee and will not exceed Rs 2 lakh.

For dog bite cases, the committee considers specific criteria, including a minimum compensation of Rs 10,000 per tooth mark. A minimum relief of Rs 20,000 per 0.2 cm of the wound is to be paid where flesh has been pulled off the skin, subject to a maximum limit of Rs 2 lakh.

In cases where fatal accidents are caused by stray animal, a copy of the death certificate and an FIR or DDR indicating the cause of death is required. In cases of permanent disability, documents such as DDR, medical certificate, and hospital discharge summary must be provided.