Nagpur, Dec 9 (UNI) The Maharashtra government on Tuesday announced that special meetings would be convened to discuss measures to tackle the increasing incidents of stray dog attacks in urban areas, following a demand by all parties in the state legislature.
The announcement came after a Calling Attention Motion was raised in the Assembly, highlighting the growing threat posed by stray dogs and urging urgent measures.
Minister of State for Urban Development, Madhuri Misal, noted in a written reply that Mumbai alone has an estimated 90,757 stray dogs, while the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) operates only eight shelters. Across the 29 municipal corporation areas in the state, there are approximately 11.88 lakh stray dogs, but only 105 shelters.
BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar urged the government to increase the number of shelters and suggested that vacant government plots could be used to create additional facilities. Misal responded that the administration is complying with the Supreme Court directions on the issue.
However, legislators from all parties expressed dissatisfaction, demanding concrete action. Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Sunil Prabhu said, “Even public representatives are not safe while visiting their constituencies due to stray dog attacks. Why is there so much opposition to sterilisation? The government should implement solutions urgently.”
BJP legislator Mahesh Landge said that animal lovers often complicate efforts to address the menace. “In the last three years, Pune alone has reported more than one lakh dog bite cases. Stray dogs should be captured and released into the homes of these animal lovers,” he remarked.
In response to the growing concerns, Misal assured the Assembly that a meeting involving concerned legislators and officials would be held soon to formulate actionable measures to curb the menace.
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