Punjab govt forms group to tackle stray dog menace

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Wednesday constituted a working group to tackle the menace of stray dogs as over one lakh cases of dog bites were reported in the state in 2018. In Punjab, 1,12,431 cases of dog bites were reported in 2017 and 1,13,637 in 2018, according to the animal husbandry department.

There are around 3.05 lakh stray dogs in the state, according to the department. The group will suggest ways to address the issue and submit a report within two weeks, Singh said after a meeting here.

The chairman of the group will the additional chief secretary (Health). The group has the task of finalising an action plan to check the population of stray dogs in the state, the chief minister said.

Principal Secretaries of the rural development and animal husbandry departments and the vice chancellor of the Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University are part of the group. Singh has directed the chief secretary to explore possibilities to take support from the government of India to eradicate the problem and monitor the implementation of the action plan, which will be given to deputy commissioners.

The chief minister also asked members of the group to ensure proper disposal of dead animals, which attract stray dogs in large numbers. He also asked the principal secretary of the animal husbandry department to expedite the programme to sterilise stray dogs.