Stray Dogs MENACE in Thane -

• 8 Dec 2013 • Hindustan Times (Mumbai) • shashikant.kothekar@hindustantimes.com Stray trouble dogs residents, TMC The civic body has not sterilised or vaccinated stray dogs for the last six months, causing fear of rabies infection Shashikant Kothekar THANE: For the last few months, residents of some areas in Thane have been walking the streets in fear – not of robbers and thieves, but of the many stray dogs that have been lying there unattended by the civic body. Over the last six months, the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has not sterlised a single stray dog in the city. In the six months before that, between November 2012 and April this year, the TMC had sterilised on 2,333 dogs. This was revealed through an RTI plea filed by activist Satyajit Shaha regarding the TMC’s sterilization programme. This is because the TMC has not floated a fresh tender for the job. The previous tender lapsed in April. Apart from sterilizing them, the TMC also needs to vaccinate them for rabies and other illnesses. The TMC also has no plan in place to rescue stray dogs and accommodate them in shelters. But with no action on the TMC’s part, residents claim that the number of stray dogs in their area has increased exponentially. Residents said they avoid walking alone in the early mornings or late at night, and don’t let their children out alone. Some of these dogs, they said, are ill and extremely aggressive, leading to concerns that they may have rabies. The civic body’s apathy is risking the lives of dogs as well as citizens. An official from the TMC health department said that on an average, they receive seven to 10 calls reporting dog bites in a day. “When we get a call, we send a team to the area and catch the dogs. We vaccinate them and release them back in the area. Many times, we have to keep a watch of them for rabies,” said an official from the TMC health department who did not wish to be named. Residents are also concerned about the risk of contracting rabies. There are only twothree anti-rabies vaccines in the market, and each vaccine costs Rs400. A single dog bite can result is medical expenses of more than Rs2,000 said Dr Uday Kulkarni, who recently filed a PIL in the Bombay high court demanding shelter homes for stray dogs. While t he TMC puts t he number of stray dogs in Thane at 5,000, activists say it is close to 45,000. When HT spoke to TMC officials, they said the process of tendering would begin soon. “We couldn’t do it for the previous six months owing to shortage of time,” said an TMC official.