The Rogi Kalyan Samiti of the North Bengal Medical College & Hospital (NBMCH) here held a meeting on Saturday to decide on urgent and comprehensive steps for the safety, sanitation and infrastructural overhaul on campus in the wake of an unidentified body found mauled by stray dogs in a corridor of the hospital recently.

Located at Susrutanagar on the outskirts of Siliguri, the NBMCH is the oldest and largest state-run healthcare establishment in north Bengal.

The mauling incident on July 17 stirred concern across patients and hospital employees and authorities. The man, suspected to be a vagrant, has not yet been identified.

The incident also brought into focus the growing population of stray dogs at NBMCH. The authorities have confirmed that more than 150 stray dogs roam the hospital premises, with many turning aggressive.

Gautam Deb, the mayor of Siliguri and chairman of the samiti, said at Saturday's meeting: "It has been decided to work on a coordinated plan for the vaccination and sterilisation of the stray dogs at the campus."

"The district administration will support this exercise, and a strict ban will be enforced on feeding stray dogs from hospital kitchens and patient areas,” he said.

The issue of security also received a major push in today’s meeting.

“As the NBMCH campus spans a large area, monitoring of the movement of people at the entrance and corridors will be tightened. A team of 26 civic volunteers has been deployed for gate management, who will work with security guards and police. Supervisory duties inside buildings and corridors will be intensified with the help of existing security staff,” said the mayor.

Sources said that the CCTV cameras, which had become defunct, are being repaired on priority.

The meeting also addressed the issue of vagabonds being left inside the campus by persons. Deb stated that cops have been instructed to monitor such cases strictly.

“For patients requiring long-term care, a designated area has been demarcated to ensure their safety and reduce crowding in general wards,” he said.

He added that two new USG machines have arrived, while new laparoscopic and dialysis machines have been allocated to the gynaecology department and the dialysis unit, respectively.

“Work is underway to operationalise a portion of the cancer unit by December,” Deb added.

A hostel cleaning project, for which a sum of ₹20 lakh has been allocated, will begin this month, a source said.