Mohali: Stray dogs have unleashed terror in Mohali, biting 16 people, including five children, in phases II, V, VII and X and Zirakpur and Derabassi within two weeks.
Four dog bite incidents were reported in one week. In Phase II on June 4, Sohan, a nine-year-old-boy, was playing in the park next to his house when stray dogs started growling. One of the canines rushed towards him, forcing Sohan to run for his life. He, however fell down and the dog bit him before passers-by could come to the rescue.
Around a week back, eight-year-old Sonu and his younger sister Ishita were playing cricket in the ground near VIP road in Zirakpur, when three dogs chased and bit them. Ishita managed to escape and call for help. Sonu was bit on his legs, stomach and back. His parents said, "We cannot send our kids out to play in the grounds and parks. Our children were badly injured. The psychological scars will also take a long time to heal."
Rakesh Sharma, an eyewitness, said, "I was just 70 metre away when the siblings were attacked. It was horrifying. Before I could reach them, the dogs had bitten them." Both were rushed to civil hospital for treatment and administered anti-rabies injections.
Residents blamed the administration for not taking any steps to control the population of dogs.
Atul Sharma, a local resident who took the injured children to hospital, said, "The MC is doing nothing to check stray dogs. They are sterilized and left in residential areas." Manpreet Walia, a resident of Sector 69, "Dogs are creating nuisance near our house. They keep lying in the park, posing a danger to residents."
However, the MC has claimed its project, animal birth control, where private doctors along with its officials catch stray dogs and sterilize them, was bearing results. Officials said the dogs would be sent to a gaushala located in Industrial Area, Phase I.
MC commissioner Uma Shankar Gupta said, "We sterilize more than 225 dogs every month so that their population is controlled. The dogs keep on moving from one place to another, making it hard to locate them. Local residents can always dial toll free number or directly approach me if the work is not done."
Residents of Sector 125 said, "We have already complained about the dog menace in our locality. They chase our cars or bikes which can also lead to accidents."
Joginder Singh, a resident of Phase X, said, "We are afraid to go for walks in the evening as there are so many dogs around the corner."
According to a survey of the MC, more than 4,500 stray dogs roam the city.
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