Hamirpur (HP), March 20 The stray dog menace has once again become a problem for residents in parts of this district, with at least 10 people, including a schoolgirl, being bitten by stray dogs in Sujanpur Tira and Hamirpur towns in the past three days.
In Ward Number 5 of the Hamirpur Municipal Corporation, a stray dog seriously injured a nine-year-old girl around 8 am on Thursday while she was walking to school.
In the Sujanpur market area, a stray dog is alleged to have bitten nine people within a span of three days, with one of the victims reportedly suffering critical injuries. However, municipal workers have not yet been able to capture the dog.
The stray dog in question is alleged to have bitten three people at the historic Chaugan (ground) located within the main market area near the Sujanpur Fort, four people in Ward Number 3, and two people 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 were halted after just one week, as the vaccine stock ran out.
Subsequently, a registration drive for pet dogs was launched across various wards. However, in the 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 that the number of stray dogs in the localities is continuously rising and urged the municipal commissioner to capture the dogs, relocate them, and get them vaccinated.
Municipal Commissioner Rakesh Kumar Sharma said that the aggressive dogs would be relocated elsewhere to ensure that residents do not face difficulties.