Only two vans to catch dogs in Bhopal!

BHOPAL: A pack of stray dogs hounded Prateek Mujumdar, a resident of E-2, Arera Colony last week scaring him to death. "I was returning from my friend's place after a get-together at around 11 in the night last week. I was on my bike. A pack of six or seven dogs ran after my motorbike. In sheer fear I lost my balance," said Prateek, a class XII student."I sprained my left leg and bruised my hand," he added.
In another incident, a family was returning after a late night dinner in their car, when a pack of stray dogs chased the car menacingly in Bharti Niketan opposite Gautam Nagar. Suresh Dhariya, a resident of Bharti Niketan said, "I was returning from a late night dinner with my wife and son, when dogs suddenly started barking and followed our car. Had I not applied brakes on time, I would have met with an accident."
The stray dog menace is not just limited to Bharti Niketan and Arera Colony. Currently, the corporation has only two dog catching vans active in the city. The Bhopal Municpal Corporation dog catching squad consists of 18 members, BMC officials said. As per BMC estimates, on an average there are 150 dogs in a radius of every 5 km in the city. According to 2011 census, the population of Bhopal is a little more than 23 lakhs.
A few months ago, a 7-year-old boy was hounded by a pack of stray dogs in Shivaji Nagar. The injured boy was then rushed to the nearby hospital. Despite several complaints from the residents, the corporation has not yet taken action.
"After the incident, I registered many complaints with the BMC call centre, but in vain," added Rohit Chouksey, a resident of Shivaji Nagar.
"The corporation launched a campaign to sterilize stray dogs a month back. We have formed a committee which includes MIC member Narayan Singh Pal, corporator Meena Yadav, veterinary doctor from the state veterinary hospital K S Tomar, Dr Neena Tripathi and member of Wild Welfare Association Neelam Kaur, to take proper measures to curb the stray dog menace," Bhopal Municpal Corporation additional commissioner Pramod shukla said.
"The corporation in co-operation with the state vet hospital has commenced Asra campaign in which a team of doctors is sterilizing dogs and giving them rabies injection," he added.