Hyderabad has 5.5 lakh stray dogs, officials move to check menace

Hyderabad, Feb 22 (IANS) Hyderabad has 5.50 lakh stray dogs, officials revealed on Wednesday, a day after CCTV footage of a four-year-old boy being mauled to death emerged.

As the horrific visuals triggered public outrage, municipal authorities on Wednesday decided to take steps on war footing to check the menace of stray dogs.

Special Chief Secretary, Municipal Administration and Urban Development, Arvind Kumar directed the officials to pay special attention to the controlling of stray dogs menace in the limits of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).

Holding a meeting with GHMC zonal Commissioners and veterinary officers, he asked officials to prepare an action plan on war footing in the limits of GHMC and other municipalities in the state.

GHMC officials briefed him that there are currently 5.50 lakh stray dogs in the GHMC area. They said that this figure was 8.50 lakh in 2011 but their population reduced with sterilisation operations conducted earlier.

Arvind Kumar instructed the GHMC officials that the ABC (Animal Birth Control) sterilisation operations should be carried out immediately.

The municipal authorities have been directed to restrict the hotels, restaurants, function halls, chicken and mutton centres within the GHMC limits from dumping waste on the streets. Due to the possible increase in the number of stray dogs in the city, it was ordered to take appropriate measures to prevent this dumping of waste immediately.

He suggested the awareness programmes also should be conducted for students in government and private schools in the city. Officials were ordered to prepare pamphlets and hoardings to create awareness.

The officials were advised to take control measures with the help of Slum Development Federations, Town Development Federations, and Resident Colony Welfare Associations within the limits of the city and neighbuoring municipalities. Control measures in other municipalities in the state will be taken up with the help of self-help groups.

Arvind Kumar also advised officials to prepare a separate mobile app for registration of pets in the city and surrounding municipalities. Identity cards will be issued to the owners concerned as per registration. He said steps should be taken to register complaints through My GHMC App No. 040 - 21111111.

He said that the areas where most of the cases are registered should be identified and immediate action should be taken there. The authorities have been directed to move veterinary teams in those areas and take appropriate measures to curb them and also to pay special attention to the areas which lack transportation.

A four-year-old boy was mauled to death by stray dogs in Bagh Amberpet area of Hyderabad on Sunday. The CCTV footage of the horrific incident emerged on Tuesday, triggering public outrage.

The boy, Pradeep, died before his father took him to a nearby hospital.

The heart-wrenching incident occurred in a car servicing centre where the boy's father Gangadhar was working as watchman.

This is the second such incident in Hyderabad in less than a year. In April, 2022, stray dogs mauled to death a two-year-old boy in Bada Bazar area of Golconda.