Civic body representatives up in arms over stray dog menace

Raising the issue of dog menace in the general body meeting, NCP corporator Subhas Jagtap said there has been an increase in dog bites across the city due to the large number of stray dogs.

“The existing system of civic administration has failed to check the dog menace,” he said urging that the adminstration take immediate steps. Congress corporator Usha Kalamkar said that it seems all the stray dogs are caught and released in Wadgaonsheri area as the problem has become very severe.

BJP leader Mukta Tilak said that the open food stalls across the city are the main reason behind the number of dogs increasing in the city.

Mayor Rajpal directed the administration to take immediate steps to keep a check on dog menace. “There is no updated record of pet dogs. A notification should be issued to citizens appealing to them to register their pet dog with the PMC as per law,” he said.

The PMC health chief said there are an estimated 40,000 stray dogs in the city, with a survey in the night had revealed the number of stray dogs to be at least 26,000. 

There are six squads to catch dogs for sterilisation, he said, adding that the number of such squads would be increased and simultaneously health facilities would be upgraded for treating patients of dog bites.

“There are 650 dogs registered with the civic body and it was impossible to carry out a door-to -door-check to ascertain whether the pet dogs are registered,” Pardeshi said.

The PMC health chief further said that the plan for a dog park could not be implemented as it is not feasible. “The initiative failed in the neighbouring Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and also land required for the park is not available across the city,” he said, hinting that project was being dropped.