Thiruvananthapuram, September 11 (BPNS)
With stray dog attacks continuing in Kerala, a crucial meeting between chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and local self-government minister MB Rajesh is likely to take place on Monday.
The meeting, it is said, came against the backdrop of the Supreme Court’s oral observation that stresses the need to work towards finding a middle ground to tackle the stray dog menace and balance the same with animal rights. It was on last Friday that the apex court made such an observation as the rising stray dog attacks in the state were brought to its notice. At the same time, on Sunday, six persons including four children suffered bites from stray dogs.
“Stray dog menace is serious in the state. An action plan will be readied to address the issue. The government is in the process of the same. The priority is to find a solution with the help of the people,” said Rajesh.
According to the minister, the government has already initiated several steps like making licenses mandatory for pet dogs and setting up animal birth control (ABC) centers on a war foot manner in local bodies.
“More interventions are on the cards. Such steps will be initiated after consulting with the chief minister. It was decided to open 152 ABC centers at the block level. Of this, 33 have already started functioning,” added Rajesh.
Meanwhile, attacks by stray dogs were reported from Kozhikode and Palakkad. Of the four children who suffered bites from stray dogs include a three-and-a-half-year-old boy also.
According to an official of the local self-government department, the rising cases of stray dog attacks have forced the local bodies to restart the ABC programme, which was inoperative for the past two years.
In the state, the implementation of the ABC programme came to a grinding halt some time ago after the Animal Welfare Board of India raised objections to the government’s decision to entrust Kudumbashree to implement the birth control programme. Later a high court directive in December 2021 also suspended the operations of Kudumbashree’s ABC units.
The official further added that much will depend on the apex court’s decision on September 28, when it will again hear the case. Last Friday, the court asked the Justice Sri Jagan Commission to submit a report on the present condition of the state. The said commission was formed by the court itself in 2016 to inquire into the complaints of dog attacks and the distribution of compensation to the victims.
Earlier, following 21 rabies deaths in the state, the government constituted a seven-member expert committee to enquire and submit a report on the cause of deaths due to dog bites. The committee that was provided with a nine-point term of reference was asked to examine possible reasons for rabies deaths, the knowledge, and skill of people involved in the vaccination programme, the efficacy of the vaccine, and others.
A joint action plan by the Health, Local Self Government, and Animal Husbandry Departments were also announced to decrease the bite cases and prevent subsequent rabies deaths.
