Hamirpur (HP), Mar 20 (PTI) The stray dog menace has come to haunt residents in parts of this district once again, with at least 10 people, including a schoolgirl, bitten by strays in Sujanpur Tira and Hamirpur towns in past three days.
In Ward Number 5 of Hamirpur Municipal Corporation, a stray dog severely injured a nine-year-old girl around 8 am on Thursday, when she was walking to school.
In Sujanpur market area, a stray dog allegedly bit nine people within a span of three days, with one of the victims said to be critically injured. Yet, municipal workers have not been able to capture the dog so far.
The stray dog in question bit allegedly three persons in the historic Chaugan (ground) located within the main market area near the Sujanpur Fort, four persons in Ward Number 3, and two persons in Ward Number 1 of the Sujanpur Municipal Council.
All the injured received anti-rabies vaccinations at the Sujanpur Hospital, officials said.
About five months ago, a stray dog had bitten and injured 28 people in the Sujanpur market within a single hour.
In response, the Sujanpur Municipal Council had initiated a dog vaccination drive in the market area. However, vaccination efforts halted after just one week, as vaccine stock ran out.
Subsequently, a registration drive for pet dogs was launched across various wards. However, in past five months, only five dogs have been successfully registered across nine wards.
The recent attacks indicate that the stray dog menace in the Sujanpur market remains unresolved, with local residents anxious over the recurring incidents.
Troubled by the situation, residents of Brij Nagar (Ward Number 5) submitted a memorandum to the Hamirpur Municipal Commissioner Rakesh Sharma demanding immediate action to tackle the problem.
The residents highlighted the incident on Thursday, in which a stray dog attacked a schoolgirl while she was on her way to school. She was rescued with the help of local residents.
President of the Shubh Prabhat Health Club Hamirpur, R L Bhardwaj, said the number of stray dogs in the localities is rising continuously and urged the municipal commissioner to capture the dogs, relocate them and get them vaccinated.
Municipal Commissioner Rakesh Kumar Sharma said the aggressive dogs would be relocated elsewhere to ensure that residents do not face difficulties. PTI COR BPL ARB ARB
Category: Breaking News
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