Stray Dogs Attack: Telangana High Court takes suo motu cognizance

Hyderabad: The Chief Justice Bench of the Telangana High Court on Wednesday has converted the news report which appeared in an English Daily under the caption 'A Pack of Stray Dogs Maul A 4-Year-Old Boy to Death' into a Suo Motu Public Interest Litigation.

Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan took the content of the news item as PIL.

The group of stray dogs attacked Pradeep while he was walking on the road close to the automobile workshop in Amberpet, where his father Gangadhar works. A video shows the boy putting in his best efforts to wriggle out of the clutches of the dogs, but the dogs bit him in his stomach, face, and other parts of the body. The boy succumbed while he was taken to a private hospital.

The boy's parents didn't make any complaint in the concerned Amberpet PS, and a complaint is not registered.

The High Court may issue directions to the concerned authorities to take necessary action to prevent and protect the lives of the General Public from the threat of stray dogs. MA&UD special chief secretary Arvind Kumar, GHMC deputy commissioner Amberpet, Hyderabad Collector Amoy Kumar, and the Member Secretary TS Legal Service Authority are respondents in the PIL.

The PIL will come up for hearing soon before the Chief Justice Bench.

Action plan to control dog menace:

MA&UD special chief secretary Arvind Kumar has directed the officials to take an action plan on a war footing to control the stray dog menace in GHMC limits. A high-level meeting was held with GHMC Zonal Commissioners and veterinary officers.

According to GHMC officials, there are currently 5,50,000 stray dogs in the GHMC area. The number was 8 50,000 lakhs in 2011, which declined after sterilization operations were conducted earlier.

Mr. Arvind instructed the GHMC officials to carry out ABC (Animal Birth Control) sterilization operations.

The municipal authorities have been directed to restrict the hotels, restaurants, function halls, chicken centers, and mutton centers within the GHMC limits from dumping waste on the streets.

Awareness programs will be conducted for the students in government and private schools in the city. "School students lack awareness about pet dogs. There is a need to give proper awareness among the students. We need to also prepare pamphlets and hoardings related", said Mr. Arvind.

The officials were advised to take control measures with the support of Slum Development Federations, Town Development Federations, and Resident Colony Welfare Associations.

GHMC will also take steps to register complaints related to stray dogs through the 'My GHMC App' or dial 040 - 21111111. Further, GHMC will soon prepare a mobile app for the registration of pets in the localities of city limits. This app will issue an identity card to the concerned owners as per registration.