JAMSHEDPUR: After several reports of stray dogs attacking people from different areas of Steel City, the Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee (JNAC) and the Mango Municipal Corporation (MMC) have started a sterilisation drive of the strays.
Talking to TOI on Friday, MMC head Suresh Yadav said, “This drive is being carried out after complaints from a large number of people living under its command area that they were victims of stray dog attacks.”
Yadav said such drives are being conducted in other parts of the state like Bokaro and Dhanbad, where such complaints were registered.
He also due to some technical issues, the drive was delayed by two years. “Help from experts in NGOs and other organisations was taken to catch the stray dogs, sterilise and release them in the same area from where they were caught,” Yadav said, highlighting that the process is time consuming and needs a lot of care so that the animals are not injured in the process. Before sterilization, the health of the animal is also checked.
During the ongoing drive by MMC, around 150 stray dogs have been sterilized, he said and added that those involved in the drive have been instructed to carry out regular monitoring of various areas so that more strays can be identified for the process.
“Earlier, the civic bodies in Steel City were dependent on Tata Steel for catching stray dogs and sterilizing them but the process is now done with the help of NGOs and other social organisations,” Yadav added.
Similarly, JNAC special officer Sanjay Kumar has instructed his officials to catch the stray dogs loitering on the main roads and bylanes and sterilize them. He said the process requires space to keep the animals which are being identified. He was confident it would be done soon.
People living in various parts of the area have been complaining of stray dogs attacking, including small kids and students going to school.
Manish Shah from Sakchi lamented that she and her 10-year-old daughter were attacked by more than half-a-dozen dogs while they were going to the market.
But unlike Manisha, M N Jha, 80, from Sonari was not so fortunate. He was bitten by a stray when he was out for a morning walk.
