Terrorised by stray dogs, Kullu residents want civic body to act

Abhinav Vashisht

Kullu, April 16

Terrorised by stray dogs, residents of the Akhara Bazaar area of Kullu town have urged the authorities concerned to take immediate step to address the issue. A person was injured after being attacked by a pack of stray dogs in Inner Akhara Bazaar on Sunday. Karan, a resident of the area, said, “The attack was so ferocious that the person was unable to move by himself and was taken to hospital on a stretcher.”

Another resident of the area, Rohit, said women and children were scared of

moving out, especially during the evening.

“There have been frequent incidents of people being attacked by dogs. The problem persists in all 11 wards of the town,” said Deepak, another resident of the area.

Deepanshu, another local, said, “Some pet owners also let their dogs roam freely in the market and even these dogs attack people. Some time back, a dog in Inner Akhara Bazaar attacked a moving two-wheeler. The rider while evading the dog hit a child. Both the rider and the child suffered injuries.”

TD Thakur, a resident of Sarwari said recently, an elderly was bitten by a stray dog in Sarwari, but no action was taken despite a complaint. The MC and Animal Husbandry Department should sterilise the stray dogs and make a provision for a shelter for them, he added.

As per Kullu animal health and breeding authorities, the department had approached the MC to catch and bring stray dogs to them for free-of-cost sterilisation. The Kullu MC had started a sterilisation campaign through an NGO last year, but the exercise could not be completed due to the dearth of funds.

Kullu MC president Gopal Krishan Mahant said, “A plan will be chalked out soon to address the issue. We have requested the government to provide funds for the setting up of dog shelters and launching sterilisation campaigns.”

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