Gurugram, Nov 22 : The terror of stray dogs has been on the rise in Gurugram, which is a matter of concern. The residents claim that the civic authorities have failed to carry out sterilisation drives of dogs to curb the menace.
Data showed that stray dogs have bitten around 1,960 alone in the previous month.
The official data reflects the rising number of such incidents.
Jaimala, Principal Medical Officer (PMO) of Civil Hospital told IANS: “Around six to nine people reach our hospital daily to get their anti-rabies dose. In October alone, about 19,60 people from across the city have come for the jab.” Subhash Dua, a local resident, told IANS: “Commuters in the city have to face inconvenience due to the presence of herds of dogs in various nooks of the city. These dogs become more active at night. These groups of stray dogs can be found in areas like car parking, bus stands, temples and market areas etc.”
However, no concrete measures can be seen being taken to address the menace.
In the last 2-3 years, there have been many incidents of stray dog bites in Gurugram.
In August 2022, in Gurugram’s civil lines area, a 36-year-old woman was attacked and repeatedly bitten by a Pitbull dog for at least half an hour, causing serious injuries to her neck and all over her body.
In November 2022, the owner of a German Shepherd pet dog was booked after it attacked a college student who received injuries to her mouth and hand.
The incident took place in old Gurugram. In February 2023, a 12-year-old girl narrowly escaped after a Labrador dog jumped at her and attacked her in Uniworld Garden City-2, Sector-47 in Gurugram.
In August 2023, a pet dog attacked a woman and a six-month-old child inside the lift of a residential society at Sector 50 in Gurugram. Both were badly injured.
“The dog population is one of the major threats to people in Gurugram. The department is making efforts to protect residents in the district. To prevent the spread of infectious diseases like rabies, we have started dog testing in the last two years,” Dr. Virender Yadav, chief medical officer of Gurugram, said.
He added that the district administration is putting more emphasis on curbing such incidents in future.
A senior Municipal Corporation of Gurugram official, on the condition of anonymity, said there are nearly 1,64,000 stray dogs in the city and at least 15,000 pet dogs.
However, according to data between 2014 and August 2023, the corporation led the initiative by sterilising a maximum of 45,238 stray dogs for Rs 2.90 crore.
