Apex committee set up to curb stray dog menace in Telangana

Hyderabad: Telangana Municipal Administration Principal Secretary Dana Kishore on Monday announced that an apex committee has been set up, comprising senior officials of various government departments and others, to formulate an action plan to prevent stray dog menace and dog-bite incidents.

Kishore, who held a meeting with officials of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), the veterinary department and members of the Blue Cross as well as other animal welfare organisations, directed the officials concerned to set up animal care centres in all urban local bodies (ULBs) of the state at the earliest, an official release said.

He underlined the need to take up an Information, Education, Communication (IEC) campaign to spread awareness within resident welfare associations and lower-income housing federations as well as among school children about the behaviour of dogs.

A training programme for all sanitary workers, field sanitary assistants and women self help groups should be conducted in every ward of the GHMC within the next week to create awareness about the street dog menace, the official said.

Similar training programmes should also be conducted in all the ULBs in the state, he added.

The GHMC officials were also told to set up a couple of shelter homes for stray dogs in the city on a pilot basis.

GHMC Commissioner Amrapali Kata said that the GHMC will take up a survey of stray dogs in the city along with a sterilisation drive and anti-rabies vaccination of all street dogs.

She also stated that GHMC would initiate steps for promoting pet dog registration, elimination of garbage at vulnerable points to avoid street dogs from gathering, and ensuring proper food waste disposal by hotels, restaurants, function halls, etc.

The release said that the availability of crèche facilities should be made mandatory at construction sites, as the children of construction labourers are most vulnerable to fatal dog attacks as they are left unsupervised when the parents work.

Members at the meeting discussed the challenges being faced in handling the stray dog menace.

They said that coordination of all departments is essential in tackling the stray it and also pointed out that there is a need to educate pet dog owners as well as dog feeders, the release added.

Several incidents of street dog attacks have been reported in the state, resulting in deaths in some cases, in the recent past.

Last week, an 18-month-old boy died, while another boy suffered injuries when street dogs attacked them in separate incidents in Telangana. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had expressed anguish over the death in Hyderabad last week and had directed officials to take steps to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future.