The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : `Action taken on dog menace'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 08, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

`Action taken on dog menace'

Staff Reporter

BANGALORE: The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday informed a Bangalore-based resident B. Krishna Bhat that the authorities were taking action on the stray dog menace in Bangalore.

The court informed Mr. Bhat's counsel, who sought to draw the attention of the court to a public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking a direction to the authorities to stay the operation of Rule 7 of Animal Birth Control (ABC) rules, dealing with capture, sterilisation, immunisation and release of stray dogs, is scheduled to come up for hearing on Wednesday.

The case was listed for hearing on Tuesday and it was adjourned for Wednesday.

When the matter did not reach the court today, it was mentioned before the court.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Cyriac Joseph and Justice B.S. Patil said even the Karnataka State Legal Services Authority had taken up the issue of stray dogs and sent a letter to the High Court. Mr. Bhat said he filed the petition after the January 5 death of Sridevi in Chandra Layout.

He said that some of the provisions of ABC rules, under which all animals, including street dogs, were classified as unfriendly to human beings.

While some provisions of the ABC were unworkable, others were in direct conflict with the liberty and life of a citizen and violated Article 21 of the Constitution.

He submitted that scores of people in Bangalore had suffered from dog bites and that the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) had been lax in tackling the issue.

He claimed that the sterilisation of dogs had not ended the menace.

Instead sterilised dogs had become more ferocious and this, he said, was clear from increased attacks on people.

Citing reports from The Hindu , he said 16 persons, including a six-year-old boy and an 80-year-old woman in Lakshmanapuri slum, were bitten by stray dog on March 31, 2006.

On December 5, four children were bitten by a dog in Chandra Layout and on January 5, 2007 an eight year-old girl was bitten to death by stray dogs in Chandra Layout.

A Division Bench comprising Mr. Justice Cyriac Joseph and Justice B.S. Patil adjourned hearing on the case.

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