Nothing can shake up Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC). Every day, on an average, the city registers 121 dog-bites even as six vans of Cattle Nuisance and Control Department (CNCD) circle the city like headless chickens to catch the canines.
It would be an understatement to say that AMC has failed miserably in curbing the perilous menace. In fact, it has not tried at all to control the nuisance, claim sources.
How do you explain this? In 2010, there were 30,726 cases of dog bites. Between January and May this year, there were 18,256 dog-bite cases – the figures will be staggering by the end of the year.
But Deputy Municipal Commissioner Dilip Gor maintains there has been “no increase” in dog-bite cases. “The canine menace has been well within control uptil now. However, the cases are likely to increase after the mating season which begins in July,” he said.
According to him, the menace will “persist till September”. The city has 2.4 lakh dogs currently. After the monsoon, there will clearly be a spurt in the dog population, increasing the possibilities of canine-human conflict in the city.
The highest dog-bite cases were reported in January this year. Of the 4,255 cases, 1,000 each were reported by V S Hospital and L G Hospital. In May alone, 3,254 cases of dog-bites were reported in the city. The CNCD receives nearly 50 dog-menace complaints every day, but the AMC is “yet to finalise” contractors to kickstart its sterilisation programme.
The civic authority had contemplated a dog sterilisation facility of its own, but there has been no development in this direction as well. A proposal for such facility has to be presented before the standing committee for approval, but no such initiative has been taken by the CNCD department so far. AMC will have to shell out around Rs 12 crore to set up this facility.
Last month, Girija Jayram, a resident of Vastrapur, was mauled by a stray dog near Lad Society during the morning walk. She was bitten on her leg and hand. She said, “I walked past a stray dog lying on the road. It came running behind me and bit me on the leg. When I tried to defend myself, it bit my hand. Something needs to be done to protect people from stray dogs.”
Nisarg Sunetra, a teenager, was attacked by a dog while he was on his two-wheeler, waiting at the Jodhpur traffic signal. He said, “I was too shocked to react first. It just bit me and ran away. The pain was unbearable. Why is the AMC sitting idle?”
Health Committee Chairman Dr Suresh Patel said, “I am doing my level best to curb the nuisance. I have already asked the officials to start the sterilisation procedure as soon as possible. But they are slow in responding. I had a meeting with the officials of Animal Welfare Board of India. We have planned several things to rid the city of dog menace.” Another empty promise?
No comments:
Post a Comment