JOIN USEither way, it’s the residents, who are facing the brunt of the problems. Stray dog menace abounds in Siddhartha Layout and Housing Board Colony so much so that residents aren’t letting their children walk alone on the streets. However, the CMC is yet to take any concrete measures to curb the menace. Even two-wheeler riders fear stray dogs. Making their presence felt, stray dogs drew their first blood, when a calf was hunted down.
One of the reasons for the increase in the number of canines is push carts selling kabab and fish fry.
According to records at CMC, there are 525 stray dogs and 279 pets in the city. Animal birth control measures have also been stopped from many years.
While the Supreme Court has stated that it is illegal to kill dogs, birth control measures have to be undertaken. The city administration had issued a circular in 2010 calling for tenders. Three firms had evinced interest in the job. The CMC accepted the tender submitted by a firm from Bangalore. The firm had fixed Rs 805 for birth control surgery for one dog and Rs 820 for a bitch.
But, several months have passed and the birth control programmes is yet to begin. While there is a shortage of experts needed to perform birth control surgery, many NGOs have taken up the task on their own. But, there are no such groups in the CMC limits.
A homemaker, Shobha, said, “We are not sending our children even to nearby shops. The dogs chase them. Children fear to go out and play in the evening.”