Rajamahendravaram: Canine menace alarming in cultural city

Rajamahrndravaram: The stray dog menace is escalating in the city year after year and the dogs are creating panic among the people in general and pedestrians in particular.

They move in groups and chase bike riders chiefly during the night time and because of that several accidents are occurring.

Despite the repeated requests, the Municipal Corporation is turning a deaf ear to addressing the problem. It is estimated that there are about 20,000 stray dogs in the city. Though the dogs seldom bite, they create a scary situation.

The dogs are getting neither food nor water in the absence of garbage dumps due to clean and green and dustbin-free projects undertaken in the city. Because of this, the stray dogs are turning ferocious and attacking people.

The corporation is strictly implementing the projects and took initiative to make Rajamahendravaram as dustbin-free city.

Usually, the dogs jump into garbage bins to get food but now they do not found food, as the sanitation staff is clearing the garbage from time to time. Normally, the dogs are ferocious when they are hungry and also at the time of mating.

The dog menace is high in Aryapuram, Sitampeta, Krishna Nagar, Veerabhadrapuram, Balajipeta, Jayakrishnapuram, Innispeta, Lakshmivarapupeta, Mangalavarapupeta, stadium road, Alcot Gardens, Kotilingalapeta, Danavaipeta, Prakash Nagar and other areas in the city.

Speaking to The Hans India here on Monday, Municipal Corporation additional health officer Dr MVR Murthi said that killing, beating or even shifting dogs from its original place is a crime, as per the rules of the Animal Welfare Board. The corporation is maintaining animal birth control centre in the city to perform birth control surgeries to these stray dogs and so far surgeries were performed to nearly to 7,000 stray dogs out of 20,000 dogs.

Moreover, they provide food and eggs to the dogs kept in the kennels.The ferociousness of dogs would come down after performing surgery and after surgery the dogs will be sent to their own places. The corporation is taking steps to increase kennels from the existing 25 kennels. Surgeries are performed in air-conditioned rooms. One veterinary doctor and other staff are taking care of the stray dogs in the kennels.