Regarding the recent Uttarakhand High Court direction to the State Government and municipal bodies to pay Rs1 lakh each in compensation to each dog bite victim, Dehradun Mayor Vinod Chamoli said that the practical aspects of this decision would be hard to follow. The Municipal Corporation of Dehradun on its part is fulfilling its legal obligation to conduct Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme for stray dogs, he said.
Talking to The Pioneer, the Dehradun Mayor said that the HC decision was a “hard decision”. Chamoli said, “All dog bite cases are not the same as one has to ascertain whether the dog was at fault or whether the victim was acting irresponsibly. As per Supreme Court orders, stray dogs can neither be dislocated nor killed. ABC is the only measure prescribed for mitigating the stray dog problem. I had studied the problem earlier and had learnt that 60 per cent of dog bite cases in Doon Hospital involve pet dogs. The MCD has been asking dog owners to get their pets registered in the corporation for which rabies vaccination is mandatory. However, few dog owners get their pets registered with us. The practical aspects of the HC direction need to be considered and in case of court orders, some relaxation should be granted to enable municipal bodies to discharge their duties,” he added.
Regarding the ABC work being facilitated by the MCD he said that earlier the corporation was getting this work done through PFA Dehradun. The organisation wanted advance one-time payment for the work which the MCD board refused. “The tender process for ABC work amounting to Rs 1.55 crore has already been started and in about six months we will have our own veterinary clinic for ABC work starting operations,” said the Mayor.