TEAM HERALD
PONDA: With over 800 cases of dog bites reported at the Ponda Sub-District Hospital from January to September this year, there is growing skepticism over the efficacy of stray dog sterilisation programmes in Ponda taluka.
There are now growing demands before the State government to set up dog shelters on the lines of cattle pounds to control stray dog population.
According to statistics at Sub-District Hospital, Ponda, the number of patients treated at the hospital were January (115), February (78), March (144), April (61), May (101), June (70), July (80), August (61) and September (108).
According to social worker Viraj Sapre and businessman Navnesh Sawant, the stray dog menace has increased because hotels and households have been throwing their waste food in open spaces.
“I have no faith in sterilisation of stray dogs and other such programmes. Though the government undertakes sterilisation programmes, the number of stray dogs is on the rise. This could be due to improper implementation of sterilisation programmes. The best solution will be to erect huge dog shelters in every taluka. The stray dogs can be picked up and placed in these shelters,” added Sapre.
“Some doctors in Ponda have also suggested that dog pounds would be an effective mechanism to control
the stray dog population,” Sapre said.
