The State Government has issued instructions to all the municipal corporations, municipal councils and nagar panchayats for controlling the increasing menace of stray dogs, informed senior officials of the Health Department and Urban Administration on Friday. The Government has appealed to the public to cooperate with the administration in this task.
All these urban bodies have been directed to give strict instructions to the officials of government and private hospitals, and owners of hotels, restaurants, poultry farms and butcher shops etc to stop dumping waste material at public places and roadside, so as to avoid gathering of stray dogs.
In case of non-compliance with the orders, the concerned hospital authority or owners of poultry farm, butcher shops or hotel/restaurant will be subjected to strict legal action as per the rules. Urban bodies have been instructed to ensure that the waste from hotels and butcher shops are stored in properly covered dust-bins and are disposed of properly.
Municipal corporation commissioners and municipal council officers have been instructed to take immediate required action for dog-gelding, in association with local officials of the Animal Husbandry department. Moreover, every possible action should be taken for the safety of people from stray dogs.
In a heart-rending incident that occurred on February 12 this year a stray dog killed a two-year-old girl Rajnadini, daughter of a labourer, while she was sleeping with her parents in a half-built shop at Pandri area in Raipur. The shutter of the shop was half open for ensuring ventilation, but unfortunately a stray dog sneaked through the space and Rajnadini became the prey of the stray dog.
Close on the heels of the incident, the Raipur Municipal Corporation had started a dog-catching drive in the city. Urban administration officials said that clean surroundings should be maintained in all the commercial as well as residential areas.
People living in labour colonies should also be made aware of the importance of clean surroundings, and urban bodies should make proper arrangements for garbage disposal in such areas.
They said that people should keep their pet dogs under control and should also get them regularly vaccinated with anti-rabies vaccine. The Health Department has instructed the health officials to arrange for anti-rabies vaccines in required quantity. It has instructed all the government and private hospital managements to ensure proper disposal of medical waste.