Congress failing to curb rising stray dog menace: Harish Rao

Senior BRS MLA T Harish Rao held the State government responsible for the death of an infant who was fatally mauled by stray dogs in Bodhan town of Nizamabad district.

Hyderabad: Former Health Minister and senior BRS MLA T Harish Rao launched a scathing attack on the Congress government for its failure to curb the growing menace of stray dog attacks across Telangana.

He held the State government responsible for the death of an infant who was fatally mauled by stray dogs in Bodhan town of Nizamabad district. This happened because of the negligence and inaction of the government despite repeated incidents, he said.

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Stating that though the incident left everyone in shock and sorrow, he said the Congress government remained indifferent to such tragedies. Dog bites and fatalities had become routine in the State, with over 60,000 cases reported during this year alone. Despite these alarming numbers, the government failed to provide even basic anti-rabies injections in government hospitals.

Criticising the poor sanitation management in villages and towns, the former Minister said the accumulation of garbage had only multiplied the problem of stray dogs. He noted that out of over 20 lakh stray dogs in the State, more than 10 lakh were within the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) area, reflecting the failure of municipal authorities to control the situation.

“The government has not released funds for sterilisation, which is crucial to controlling the stray dog population,” he added.

Despite repeated High Court admonishments asking immediate action to prevent dog bites, Harish Rao observed that the State government was doing little or nothing. He urged the officials to study successful models like Goa, where no dog bite fatalities had occurred in the last three years.

He also demanded Rs 5 lakh as ex-gratia and Rs 50,000 as additional compensation for victims, along with the immediate availability of anti-rabies injections in all primary health centres.