WRD staff among 8 vaccinated after dog bite

MARGAO, JAN 3  
Beware, stray dogs on the prowl in the Commercial Capital. The next time you think of visiting the Water Resources Department at Gogol for some official work, beware of the stray dogs.
For, Monday saw a stay dog biting as many as eight persons, including employees of the Water Resources Department, besides people staying in the government quarters.
The victims include 2-3 women employees, creating a fear psychosis amongst the residents over their safety of their children.
A resident of the government quarters informed that it is not safe for the children to move out in the locality because of the stray dogs. “At any given time, one may find around 15-20 dogs straying in the locality, posing a risk to the residents and visitors to the department for official work”, he said.
Incidentally, the government quarters at Pajifond too faces the problem of stray dogs, with complaints galore of strays damaging seat covers of two-wheelers parked in the locality.
Those who became victims of the stray dog were taken to the Hospital for vaccination, but the bigger question of stray dog menace continues to haunt the citizens of the commercial capital.
Though a local NGO, South Goa Animal Welfare Trust has been given the responsibility to tackle the menace, the situation has not much improved for want of infrastructure provided to the NGO.
In fact, the Margao civic body has not been prompt in clearing the monthly amount of Rs 11,000 to the NGO in lieu of sterilising the stray dogs. While the civic body has been demanding that the NGO sterilise 100 dogs a month as per the agreement, the NGO has expressed its inability to meet the monthly target for want of adequate facilities at the dog shelter.
Plans to further expand the dog shelter to accommodate a few more stray dogs after sterilisation, has also failed to take off at the moment.