Stray dogs bite woman in Shimla’s Lower Bazar area, locals say inadequate waste disposal in market adding to menace

Raghuvir Yadav, an employee at a garment shop in Lower Bazaar, said that the woman was crossing the Lower Bazaar area when the incident took place. “A pack of four to five dogs came running behind her. The woman took her pet in her lap to avoid any altercation. However, she was bitten on her left leg,” he said, adding that a seven-year-old boy was bitten by a stray dog at the same place a few days ago.

Local shopkeeper and former area councilor Inderjeet Singh added that repeated incidents of dog bites have been reported in Lower Bazaar. “The civic body should take adequate steps against the menace. Waste disposal by butchers in the nearby meat market is also making dogs aggressive,” he said.

Shimla mayor Surinder Chauhan said, “The municipal corporation has limited authority. We can catch and sterilise the dogs, but we have to release them. Whenever we receive a complaint about an aggressive dog, our team catches it. I will check the disposal of waste meat material in the meat market.”

Shimla civic commissioner Bhupender Kumar Attri said that they are doing their best to control stray dog menace. “Whenever we receive information about a dog bite case, we dispatch our team to the spot. The current incident is under our knowledge.”