GHMC gears up to prevent stray-dog menace, appoints Jt commissioners to overcome problem

HYDERABAD: Amid a series of stray dog attacks on the public in the city, especially children, which led to a massive uproar, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) has geared up to ensure that this menace is reduced to zero in the future.

As part of it, GHMC Mayor Gadwal Vijaya Lakshmi on Saturday conducted a meeting with DPOs, sanitation team, veterinary team and other relevant officials at Charminar zonal office and issued orders for appointing a Joint Commissioner for each zone in the GHMC limits to take steps and protect people from this menace.

Speaking on the occasion, Gadwal Vijaya Lakshmi said that the joint commissioners would conduct routine checks on stray dogs and take adequate measures to ensure that the problem was eliminated.

According to the order, Joint Commissioner of Sanitation Sandhya was allocated to Kukatpally Zone, Joint Commissioner SBM and Health Uma Prakash to Secunderabad zone, Joint Commissioner J Suvartha to LB Nagar zone, Joint Commissioner LP Mallaiah to Serilingampally Zone, Joint Commissioner A Sailaja to Charminar Zone, Joint Commissioner B Srinivasulu to Khairatabad zone.

The GHMC also issued orders to the non-vegetarian shops, function halls, hostels, non-vegetarian shops, function halls, hostels not to dump the food waste in public places and instead dump them at specific places to prevent the dogs from roaming in groups. Mayor Gadwal Vijaya Lakshmi said that they would implement a pet ownership scheme to adopt dogs.

Meanwhile, GHMC officials were also creating awareness programs on the prevention of dog attacks for students of government schools at Moosapet, Gajularamaram, Quthbullapur, and Serilingampally where concerned officials, corporators, and school staff had attended the workshops. The officials and the public representatives gave instructions to the students on safety measures to be taken in case of stray dogs attack.

A meeting was also held with RWS Coordinators in circle 21 of Chandanagar to educate welfare associations regarding stray dogs and their behavioural patterns during summer.