Stray dogs on a street in Balangir

Sambalpur/Balangir, Sept. 13: Stray dog menace is haunting residents of the two towns.

In Sambalpur, nearly 1,079 dog bite cases were reported in the district headquarters hospital in the last eight months.

However, local residents alleged that the civic body had not done anything to put a check on Samabalpur’s rising stray dog population.

“Between January and August this year, the district headquarters hospital alone registered more than 1,000 cases of dog bite.

“In many localities, people live in the fear of getting bitten as stray dogs growl at them. The dogs also chase cars and motorcycles at night, increasing the risk of accidents. The municipality should take immediate action,” said Debashish Mishra, a local resident.

Executive officer of Sambalpur Municipality Anirudhha Padahan said: “Even we are worried about the problem. We had a proposal to build a kennel on the premises of the chief district veterinary office. But, it could not materialise because of land crunch. We have already procured a dog-catching vehicle. We also have a plan to provide dog-catching training to our staff.”

Missing action

Residents of Balangir echo their Sambalpur counterparts when it comes to civic action.

They say inaction by the municipality has led to a sharp rise in dog bite cases in the last few months.

Official sources said that the hospital handles at least a hundred cases of dog bite every month. If those who were treated for dog bite at various private clinics of the town are also taken into account, the number will of such cases will rise further.

Sources at the district headquarters hospital said that most of the dog bite cases had been reported from localities such as Shantipada, Tulsinagar, Malpada, Kansaripada, Barpalipada, Sagarpada and Radharanipada.

Between April 1 and July 31 this year, the hospital admitted as many as 329 dog bite victims.

Rameswar Majhi, a victim of the dog attack, said: “The stray dog population has increased manifold times. The dogs have unleashed a kind of terror in the town, while the civic authorities have remained a mute spectator to it,” he said.

Chief district medical officer of Balangir Bikrant Kindo it was the duty of the municipal authorities to control the stray dog population.

Executive officer of Balangir Municipality Santosh Behera said the instruction to sterilise stray dogs has been issued.