Residents say menace growing by the day as number of ‘dangerous’ canines is on the rise
After the horrific incident of a six-year-old girl being mauled by stray dogs in sector 100 of a upscale Noida colony, the spotlight is now on the stray dog menace in the area. Residents in Noida say they have been complaining to the authorities about the stray dog menace for some time but to no avail. In fact, they claim, stray dogs have increased in the area and the last few months have seen an increase in incidents.
"We spot five-six dogs fighting daily in our sector and they roam about the locality freely. They become dangerous and we are helpless in tackling them. We have informed the Noida authority of the problem as these dogs bite residents also," Vipul Shrivastav, a resident of sector 27, Noida said.
Residents say they are also worried because the Delhi-based Dr Chawla's Pet Hospital — appointed by Noida Authority for the sterilisation project to check the stray dog population — is not doing its job well.
"The Noida Authority says that they have appointed many teams to look after the sterilisation of these dogs but nothing is being done. The dogs are getting more aggressive day by day and they find ways to get into societies and bite people even on roads," said Mohit Mehra, a resident of 3c Lotus Boulevard.
However, according to the chief veterinary officer (CVO) of Gautam Buddha Nagar, routine sterilisation of stray dogs is being carried out in all urban and rural areas to control their burgeoning population.
Noida has an estimated 13,600 stray dogs, according to Noida authority officials.
In June last year, the then district magistrate (DM) of Gautam Buddha Nagar NP Singh had directed the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) to work in coordination with the Noida Authority. SPCA had been running a dog sterilisation clinic programme in conjunction with the Noida Authority in Sector 94. SPCA claims the Authority removed them from the programme in October last year and states that with their withdrawal the programme has been hampered.
Meanwhile, the six-year-old girl is still in the ICU and is undergoing treatment at Yatharth hospital. "We tried to open her wounds today but many were found to be too deep. She will take a lot of time to recover and her mind will be traumatised with this event," said Dr AK Jain, general surgeon, of Yatharth Wellness Hospital, sector 110, Noida.
Residents have lodged an FIR against the two directors, general manager and facility manager of the society, claiming the management had ignored multiple complaints against stray dogs.
Amit Malhan, the facility manager of the society said whenever they had tried to take action against strays, such as asking guards to drive them away with a stick, they got calls from the office of Ambika Shukla's Sanjay Gandhi Animal Care Centre.
CANINE MENACE
- Noida has an estimated 13,600 stray dogs, as per authorities
- Residents allege sterilisation is not being done properly by the appointed authority
- Chief vet of Gautam Buddha Nagar says sterilisation is being carried out routinely
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