CUTTACK: Stray dog menace has assumed alarming proportions in the Millennium City. With a significant rise in the number of stray dogs, instances of dog bites have also gone up in the city. The menace has made commuting on roads a nightmare for residents, especially children.
Sources said the number of stray dogs has witnessed a steady increase due to the neglect of Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC). The civic body has not launched any sterilisation drive since 2014 despite having necessary infrastructure including two dog sterilisation centres, a vehicle for carrying dogs and an annual fund of Rs 15 lakh under Animal Birth Control (ABC).
“The menace of stray dogs has become a major cause of worry. It has become unsafe to walk or ride a bicycle or motorcycle late in the night,” rued Sirish Mohapatra, a resident of Rajabagicha. Moreover, the menace has also led to an increase in road mishaps. A city-based social worker said stray dogs are attracted towards the garbage and carcass of animals dumped along the roads. They become ferocious while fighting for food and attack passersby, he said. Though there is no official report on the number of canines in the city, unofficial sources put the figure at a staggering 60,000.
A CMC official said the civic body had invited tender several times in the past for counting the canine population in the city. However, no organisation participated in the process. City Health Officer Dr Umesh Panigrahi said considering the inconvenience caused to people due to growth in stray dogs’ population, the civic body has started its own animal birth control-cum-anti-rabies vaccination (ABC and ARV) programme since September 22 this year. He said around 250 stray dogs have been sterilised in the last three months.
However, the city residents are not impressed with the tardy pace of the programme. “It took three months to sterilise only 250 dogs. How long will it take for the civic body to sterilise and control the total stray dog population?” wondered Sidharth Sarangi of Mahanadi Vihar.