GHMC fails to address stray dog menace despite recurrence of horrific child deaths

GHMC only reacts when there are complaints from residents and has taken up measures like animal birth control and anti-rabies vaccination only in high profile areas like Serilingampalli

CC camera footage of a little boy being mauled to death by four stray dogs on Sunday, sent shock waves among the city residents.

More horrific is the fact that such child deaths are on the verge of becoming commonplace in the city, thanks to inaction by the civic authorities in controlling canine population in the ever expanding city.

It is always unmistakably the children of the poor from the slums who become easy victims of such laxity, as officials typically do not heed to complaints from the residents.

In April, 2022, a two-year-old boy Anas Ahmed was attacked and killed by a pack of stray dogs near Bada Bazaar area of Golconda.

In January 2021, a nine-year-old boy Mohammed Ayaan was mauled to death by stray dogs while playing with friends in Bahadurpura. There have been countless incidents every year, where stray dogs have bitten people.

Every time such incidents happen, all that the GHMC officials do is to come up with convenient excuses to escape responsibility. In case of Golconda incident, the authorities blamed the adjoining military area where the dogs had a free run, and in case of Bahadurpura, they charged the children with provoking the street mongrels. Open garbage dumping, provoking female with pups are common excuses. Always ready is the litany of dog sterilisations done annually, as a proof of their effort.

Fact of the matter is, the officials from the Veterinary wing of GHMC act only when a complaint is received from residents of any particular area, and there are no proactive measures to contain the menace. When a complaint is lodged, the dogs are usually picked up, vaccinated and sterilised before being let off in the same area. Owing to low payments despite the risk involved, dog catchers are often reluctant to work for the civic body.