Dogs on the prowl: 10 strays caught from Noida society

Noida, Oct 20 A one-year-old boy was mauled to death by stray dogs at Lotus Boulevard Society here. He could not survive despite undergoing a surgery. Ten strays have been caught from the society following the incident.

The residents are refusing to stop protesting until all the stray dogs in the society are caught. They blocked the road on October 18 in protest, creating a ruckus. A candle light march was also taken out on Wednesday night in the society.

However, dog lovers are opposing the capture of the dogs, alleging that the authorities are picking up random strays and sending them to dog shelters, instead of capturing the ones that have bitten people.

Who is responsible for these incidents? The administration, Authority or commoners?

Stray dog attacks have been recorded before in different societies and this is not a new problem, thousands of people have become victims of stray dogs' attacks. The Noida Authority has been promising to establish dog shelters and arrange resources for those keeping and feeding them but the reality is starkly different on the ground.

There are some NGOs in Noida who have built shelters for strays at their own expense. Apart from them, no other shelters can be found in Noida. The authorities catch the dogs from the places they receive complaints from, get them sterilized and release them back in the same places.

What do the residents of the society say?

Vikas Jain, a resident of Lotus Boulevard Society, says that "Street dogs should be sent to the dog lovers. The ones who lose their child, only they know what goes into caring for and loving their child." After the incident, many other residents have also demanded that street dogs should be removed from their societies.

The demand for removing street dogs is also gaining momentum in Jaypee Aman Society. There are 26 towers and 4200 flats in the society built in Sector 151 with more than 2000 families residing in it.

A member of the society's Apartment Owners Association said that three to four cases of dog bites come up monthly in the society. He added that despite having a feeding point in the society, people feed dogs under the tower itself, which makes it difficult to access the tower.