After dark, we live under a curfew-like situation, say Chandigarh’s Sector 28 locals
Locals said that the area has witnessed multiple dog-bite incidents in the last month or so, but the hue-and-cry raised by them over the strays has fallen on deaf ears of the civic body so far.
There have been instances when people have fallen over and fractured a limb or so in order to save themselves from attacks from stray dogs. Residents of Chandigarh’s Sector 28 — an area which houses the residences of the administration’s who’s who, including present Mayor Anup Gupta, ex-MP and former Union Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal — have been living under the constant fear of being attacked by stray dogs.
Locals said that the area has witnessed multiple dog-bite incidents in the last month or so, but the hue-and-cry raised by them over the strays has fallen on deaf ears of the civic body so far. Locals said that the civic body should find a solution to the menace, with local BJP councillor, Harpreet Kaur Babla, saying that she will raise the issue in the upcoming Chandigarh civic body house meeting next week.
“We are living under a curfew-like situation. Either we do not dare to go out of our houses on our own or we carry sticks etc with us in order to protect ourselves from possible attacks from strays. Almost every other day there is a dog bite case that is reported from our area.
Some cases are reported, many other go unreported. There have been instances when people have fallen over and fractured a limb or so in order to save themselves from attacks from stray dogs. The packs of dogs are usually very active during the early morning or late evening hours when the streets start to become deserted. The dog catching squad of the municipal corporation works only between 9 am and 5 pm, which we think is completely bureaucratic,” said Colonel Avnish Sharma (retired), a resident of Sector 28.
A second resident Shweta Ahuja said, “I am a dog lover and have a pet in my house. Yet, I am scared of the pack of strays that roam in our area. We are scared of going out of our house alone these days.”
Akshya Goel, general secretary of RWA, Sector 28, who himself suffered a dog bite some days ago, said “There are around 157 houses in Sector 28A. Almost 100 of the houses have a family member who has been affected by the current stray menace. This problem is not unique. It persists throughout Chandigarh.”
Councillor Harpreet Kaur Babla said, “The sterilisation programme of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation is an eyewash. I am going to take up this issue in the upcoming House meeting.”
Field Inspector with Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), Dharminder Dogra, however, said, “There are many reasons as to why stray dogs become aggressive. An old trauma, old injury, less availability of food are some of the reasons. There is a proper way of dealing, feeding and taking care of stray dogs. Animal lovers should discourage the practice of feeding stray dogs anywhere, outside every house or in public parks. There should be a designated place in one particular area for dog feeding. If someone wants to adopt a stray dog then they should do it properly. Once adopted, a dog needs to be vaccinated properly and proper care should be taken of them.”
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