The Hindu 02.07.2013
Dog menace: HC seeks report from Madurai Corporation
The petitioner sought administration of ‘fatal injection’ to rabid dogs
The Madras High Court bench here on Monday directed
Madurai Corporation to submit a report on the steps taken to control
rabies in Madurai. A division bench comprising Justices S.Rajeswaran and
T.Mathivanan issued the direction while hearing a public interest
litigation seeking to control stray dog menace in the city.
The
petitioner, C.Ezhilarasu, an advocate, sought a direction to the
officials to administer “fatal injection” to rabid dogs in order prevent
spread of rabies.
Shortage of vehicle
His
counsel W.Peter Rameshkumar contended that there were a large number of
dogs in the city but only one vehicle was available to transport them
to the sterilisation and vaccination centre in Sellur.
The number of professional dog catchers in city was inadequate, he added.
On Monday, S.Murugan, sanitary inspector of Madurai Corporation, appeared before the judges.
Referring to an article published in
The Hindu
(Stray dogs rule city streets) on July 1, the judges said the dog menace was an issue that needed serious concern.
Citing
the details in the article that said the Government Rajaji Hospital
(GRH) received 60 new cases (adults) and 40 cases of children who are
bitten by street dogs every day, the judges said, “This is a social
menace. We cannot afford to lose the children and elders. Something has
to be done since it is a matter of serious concern.”
Referring
to a statement made by N.Mohan, Dean, Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH),
in the article, they impleaded the Blue Cross, Chennai, as one of the
respondents in the petition and ordered a notice.
Permanent solution
Mr.Mohan
had said that rabies-infected dogs went on the rampage in the cities,
towns and municipalities and that the streets of Madurai could be safe
only if Blue Cross and others came out with a permanent solution. The
article could be taken as a prima facie evidence for the dog menace in
the city, the judges noted.
The judges further
instructed the District Collector to submit a report on the availability
of medicines in the GRH to treat emergency rabies cases and on the
treatment being given to the rabies-infected patients.
“When the rabies-infected dogs are found on the roads, the authorities should immediately eradicate them,” the judges observed.
The case has been posted to July 9.
This
is a social menace. We cannot afford to lose the children and elders.
Something has to be done since it is a matter of serious concern