Panchkula to have Quick Reaction Team to tackle dog attacks

Taking cognizance of the rising number of cases of stray dog attacks on children and the elderly, the Haryana government minister Kavita Jain today directed officials of the Panchkula Municipal Corporation to set up a Quick Reaction Team.
Jain held a review a meeting with the Commissioner, Panchkula Municipal Corporation, Executive Officer, Chief Sanitation Officer, and administrative officials today.
She directed them to prepare a special action plan to mitigate the fear level of the residents who stroll during the morning and evening hours, from the stray dog menace.
"No negligence would be tolerated in ridding the area of this menace," she said.

Notably, many incidents of stray dog bites have been reported from Panchkula in recent times. A few months back, a rabid dog had bit around 15 persons, including women and children.
In the meeting, officials said that such cases had also increased in Municipal Corporations of Chandigarh and Mohali, apart from Panchkula.

Jain also directed that action being taken to sterilise stray dogs should be speeded up.
On the directions of Jain, the Corporation decided to constitute a monitoring committee. It would monitor vaccination and sterilisation of stray dogs and ensure compliance with animal birth control guidelines by catching the dogs, transporting them and getting them vaccinated.

A short tender has been invited by the Corporation for sterilisation and vaccination of stray dogs, for which work would be allotted to a contractor within one week.
For this, a provision of Rs 30 lakh has been made in the current financial year, officials said.