UPDATED: Gurugram municipal corp under fire as strays terrorise residents

Gurugram, Oct 29 : The increasing stray dog population in Gurugram district has become a cause for worry as many residents live in fear of being attacked by man’s best friend.

Growing urbanization has made the problem more acute. The residents said that often vicious canines block streets and sidewalks, damaging property. The dogs often fight over garbage — small scraps of food or chicken bones.

“I fear for my life,” says Aman Dixit, an IT professional, “We can’t step out of the house even for a walk. These stray dogs are biting people randomly and are also putting scratches on our cars.”

To check this problem, the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) issued an order last year that dog owners must register their pets (one per family) and if they are found in public places without tags they will be detained and neutralised if not claimed in a week.

However, amid huge protests by pet owners and animal lovers, the civic body amended its order with officials saying the intention was never to kill unclaimed dogs.

Following this, the MCG passed directions to ban over 11 foreign dog breeds in Gurugram.

The steps taken by the MCG to tackle the stray dogs menace include registration of pets with immediate effect upon payment of the necessary charges.

Residents have complained that due to the poor sterilisation drive, the stray dog population in the city is on the rise, and the civil hospital, on an average, receives as many as 15 dog bite cases daily.

“Containing the population of strays is a tedious task that cannot be easily handled by the authorities alone. The first and foremost priority is that the dogs should be sterilised periodically around the year in every area. The government should display numbers of helplines so that people can register complaints and act upon them swiftly,” Jai Veer Yadav, president of Vipul World City RWA, told IANS.

“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 testing of dogs in the last two years. To reduce the danger, we have taken multiple steps and conducted sterilisation and vaccination of dogs and various awareness programmes have been launched,” said Dr Virender Yadav, chief medical officer of Gurugram.

According to experts, the MCG needs to increase its capacity and start sterilising and vaccinating 800-1000 stray dogs per day.

Experts also state that improper disposal of waste, abandoned pets on the streets and, most importantly, inadequate sterilisation and vaccination of dogs are the primary reasons for the problem.

They also alleged that the government has failed to implement effective measures to control the stray dog population and ensure their well being.

A senior MCG official, on 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 45,238 stray dogs at a cost of Rs 2.90 crores.

The residents also said that the authorities must seek the help of animal husbandry officials, dog trainers, and veterinary doctors.

“The authorities need to take the necessary steps in this matter. We need to educate people because stray dogs bite children, spread garbage all over the place and create a nuisance at night by fighting among themselves. Those feeding stray dogs must be discouraged from doing so. This leads to a large number of dogs moving to one particular street in the hope of finding food. The authorities need to take stringent action to avoid unnecessary injuries to citizens” said Neeru Malik, a Sector-12 resident.

According to advocate Ashutosh Raghav, “It is the responsibility of every housing society to designate feeding spots for community animals in consultation with the caregivers/dog feeders, as per the mandate under Rule 20 of the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023. This will also help reduce man-animal conflict, cases of dog bites, etc.”

Moreover, many people abandon their pets or allow them to roam freely, contributing to the stray dog population. This is morally wrong. There are options of surrendering your pet if you cannot take care of it anymore, he said.

Additionally, the Central government has passed the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960, which prohibits cruelty to animals, including stray dogs. The Act mandates that every owner of an animal is responsible for its well-being, and it is illegal to abandon pets or allow them to become strays, he added.

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 on her neck and all over the body.

In November 2022, the owner of a German Shepherd pet dog was booked after it attacked a college student, causing injuries on her mouth and hand. The incident took place in old Gurugram.

In February 2023, a twelve-year-old girl narrowly escaped after a Labrador dog jumped at her and attacked her in Uniworld Garden City-2 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 injured badly.