District Moves to Curb Stray Dog Menace; Animal Birth Control Centre to Come Up in Udaipur Lahaul and Spiti.
Shimla:
In a major step towards addressing the growing problem of stray dogs in Lahaul Spiti district, the district administration has decided to establish an Animal Birth Control (ABC) Centre in the Udaipur sub-division. The decision was taken during an important meeting held on Thursday under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner Lahaul Spiti, Kiran Bhadana.
The meeting was attended by Panchayat Secretaries from all Panchayats of the Lahaul sub-division, along with officers from the Animal Husbandry, Health, Panchayati Raj and other concerned departments. The focus of the meeting was to formulate a comprehensive and coordinated action plan to control the increasing stray dog population, which has emerged as a serious challenge to public safety and sanitation in both urban and rural areas of the district.
Addressing the meeting, the Deputy Commissioner said that the rising number of stray dogs has led to frequent dog bite incidents and poses risks to public health. She emphasized that the district administration is committed to taking swift, effective and humane measures to resolve the issue.
The Deputy Commissioner directed the Animal Husbandry Department to establish an Animal Birth Control Centre in Udaipur at the earliest. Officials of the department informed that a proposal has already been forwarded to higher authorities and land has been identified in the Udaipur sub-division for the purpose. They stated that the ABC Centre would help scientifically and humanely control the stray dog population, reduce human-animal conflicts, and prevent the spread of rabies and other zoonotic diseases. The centre will be set up on a priority basis once approval is received.
DC Bhadana further instructed the Animal Husbandry Department to identify areas with a higher incidence of dog bites and to prioritize sterilization drives in those locations, in close coordination with Panchayat representatives. She also directed the department to identify buildings of closed schools that could be temporarily used as post-sterilization dog shelters. The Panchayats will be responsible for arranging food for the dogs during their stay in these shelters.
Emphasizing awareness and prevention, the Deputy Commissioner instructed officials from various departments to visit schools across the district to educate students about safety measures and ways to protect themselves from dog attacks. She also appealed to parents to ensure that children wear clothing that adequately covers their bodies, especially while commuting to and from school.
To curb the availability of food sources for stray dogs, the Deputy Commissioner directed the Road Transport Corporation to coordinate with the Special Area Development Authority to ensure cleanliness at bus stands. She noted that unclean surroundings and food waste attract stray dogs to public places.
She also issued directives to multiple departments to secure their premises by constructing boundary walls. The Education Department was instructed to build boundary walls around all schools, the Health Department around health institutions, the Youth Services and Sports Department around its facilities, and the Road Transport Corporation around all bus stands. Departments were further directed to ensure that no stray dogs are present within their premises and to appoint nodal officers responsible for cleanliness and monitoring.
The Deputy Commissioner stressed that inter-departmental coordination and community participation will be key to effectively addressing the stray dog issue and ensuring the safety and well-being of residents in Lahaul Spiti district.
