Sterilisation halted: Panchkula grapples with rising stray dog menace
As per the livestock Census-2019, there were 2,340 dogs in Panchkula. An MC official informed, no new survey was conducted recently.
The municipal corporation (MC) acknowledged the stalled sterilization drive, stating that a new tender is currently undergoing technical scrutiny and will be allotted soon. Meanwhile, daily dog bite cases at civil hospital, Sector-6, range from 12 to 15.
Mayor Kulbhushan Goyal said 300 to 400 dog bite cases are reported every month.
Despite a November 2023 directive from the Punjab and Haryana high court mandating compensation for dog bite victims (minimum ₹10,000 per tooth mark and ₹20,000 per 0.2 cm wound where flesh is torn), the district administration currently lacks a clear policy or dedicated funds for such compensation. Sources indicate the local administration has sought guidance from the chief secretary on policy formulation. While applications for compensation are being considered, it remains undecided whether the policy will cover victims retrospectively.
Goyal added that the MC is prepared to provide compensation but is unable to do so without a decision from higher authorities.
However, the state government's Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya Parivar Suraksha Yojana (DAYALU) scheme does offer financial assistance to families who have suffered accidental death or permanent disability due to stray animals, including dog bites. However, this scheme covers only those families with an annual income below ₹1.80 lakh.
A health officer from the MC informed that around 2,000 dogs were sterilised last year at the Sukhdarshanpur village centre. The Animal Birth Control (ABC) and Anti-Rabies Vaccination (ARV) programmes, costing ₹1,500 per dog for sterilisation, are outsourced to firms responsible for catching and releasing the dogs at the same location post-procedure.
Experts suggest that public affection and feeding of street dogs inadvertently contribute to their increased numbers as they tend to settle and multiply in those areas. Colonel SK Datta (retired), RWA president of Sector 12, emphasised the difficulty for residents to use parks and even roads due to the escalating stray dog presence, making carrying a stick a 'necessary' precaution.
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The Hindu
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- The Hindu
Residents and animal lovers in Coimbatore advocate balanced stray dog management
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Time of India
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- Time of India
Food Chained: How weight-loss drugs are changing India's eating habits and forcing restaurants to take note
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They delay the digestion process, slowing the movement of food in the digestive tract, but increase satiety levels in the brain. So you feel full with a few mouthfuls of rice, a small slice of pizza, one roti. Independence Day 2025 Modi signals new push for tech independence with local chips Before Trump, British used tariffs to kill Indian textile Bank of Azad Hind: When Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose gave India its own currency In some people on these drugs, there is an unprecedented change in taste, like in the case of Goyal. What happens when food, a basic necessity of life, becomes insignificant? What happens when hunger, a primal feeling, disappears? What happens when enjoying food, one of life's greatest pleasures, vanishes? FUNCTIONAL FOOD The Ozempic tribe shows that when it comes to diabetes and obesity, food is not a fun companion. For them, the new class of drugs can be a life-saver, although they scramble the taste buds of some. Food has become functional, not fun. 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Hindustan Times
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