Stray dog attacks: Panel clears 881 compensation claims in Kerala

Of these applications, findings pertaining to 881 applications have been forwarded to the Supreme Court as well as the local self-government department in Kerala. In 749 cases, the government has accorded sanction for payment of compensation and directions have been given to respective local bodies to release the amount as per the decision of the committee. In 132 cases, government sanction for compensation is pending. The committee has so far submitted 37 reports to the Supreme Court with regard to the applications for claims settled by it.

The government had last week informed the legislative assembly that the state had reported 2 lakh cases of dog bites so far this year, while unofficial reports put the figure for the last six years at 10 lakhs.

According to Justice Siri Jagan, a retired judge of Kerala high court, the number of applications for compensation is less compared to the figures of stray dog bite cases reported in the state. “This is mainly due to people’s lack of awareness about this system or the committee. Most victims of stray dog bites do not know about this system. Before pandemic-related lockdown, we were having sittings across the state. Now, post-lockdown, the sitting is being held in Kochi. We are getting four-five applications every week from various parts of the state,’’ he said.

The data of the committee showed that the number of applications has been going up in the last three years. In 2020, the panel received 705 applications for claims, in 2021 the number grew to 971 and in 2022 1205 applications till 5 September.

The committee has rejected a chunk of claim applications as they were bites or attacks involving domestic dogs. Victims need to submit medical records with details of the location where the incident had happened and jurisdiction of the civic body. The committee verifies the claim with the local body concerned and the compensation is awarded with 9 per cent interest from the date of claim, which the local body pays.

Justice Siri Jagan said the amount of compensation awarded to the victims depends upon the nature of wounds or the gravity of the accident caused by a stray dog. Last September, the family of an auto driver who died in an accident caused by a running stray dog, was given a compensation of Rs 25 lakh, which is the highest recommended by the committee to day. Municipality of Thrippunithura was told to pay the amount to the family of auto driver Biju, who died in 2019.

In some cases, victims had been given a few thousand rupees as compensation. A person named Ananthakrishna was paid Rs 9,650 by Mulankunnathukavu panchayat.