Vasai-Virar struggles to contain rising stray dog population

Despite spending nearly Rs 278 crore over the past five years on sterilising stray dogs the VasaiVirar City Municipal Corporation VVCMC has struggled to contain the cityrsquos rapidly growing street dog population Residents say the problem has spiralled out of control and data backs this claim Official data reveals 125841 dog bite cases have been reported since 2021 averaging over 60 incidents each day In Nalasopara Eastrsquos municipal hospital alone civic sources say over 500 bite cases are registered each monthCases risingDespite Rs 278 crore being spent on sterilisation and Rs 6 crore on antirabies vaccinations only 17112 dogs have been sterilised in five years The civic body runs the sterilisation and vaccination drives through two NGOs mdash Janice Smith Animal Welfare Trust and Prataprao Rane Educational amp Charitable Trust mdash paying around Rs 1650 per dogThe team from Janice Smith Animal Welfare Trust PICSBY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTYet the bite figures have climbed from 11508 cases in 2021 to nearly 36000 in 2024 A third organisation Worldwide Veterinary Service WVS provides free rabies vaccinations under the municipal partnership ldquoWe are aware of the increasing cases and are actively working on itrdquo VVCMC Deputy Commissioner Archana Dive saidOnground concernsFor those on the ground the assurances mean little ldquoAfter 9 pm packs of dogs chase bikers and attack pedestriansrdquo said Ravi Shinde a Nalasopara resident who was bitten last year Narayan Singh Rajput a resident of Global City Virar West said ldquoChildren are terrified to go to school Last week a dog chased my wife and neighbours had to intervene Despite repeated complaints no one has come to checkrdquo Animal feeders are also frustrated Anupma Clement from Virar East lamented ldquoI have around 50 dogs including several females waiting to be sterilised If they are not operated on in time their numbers will increaserdquoResidents have also raised serious concerns regarding postoperative care Sujata Sarkar reported that in the first week of September 89 strays were picked up from her area for sterilisation One female dog died three days after the procedure According to Sarkar no postmortem was conducted The reason provided was that the NGO ldquodoes not do preventive maintenance for such casesrdquo She described this explanation as unprofessional and lacking transparency Several dogs were reportedly released only after 11 days of being picked upA rabid dog in NalasoparaShe also highlighted issues with the NGOrsquos rigid pickup and release schedule 11 am6 pm on weekdays which she said made coordination difficult for working citizens Manish a local resident shared that there was a suspected rabid dog in his area biting other dogs The Janice Smith Animal Welfare Trust tried catching the dog but he went missing Manish contacted NGO founder Manoj Ostwal again at which point he stated that he does not currently have any vaccine available ldquoHe told me that there is no vaccination available after I waited for 24 hours for help Both NGOs have completed six months of tenure but neither is functioning according to rulesrdquoNGOs hit backOstwal said the NGOrsquos role is limited by mandate ldquoOur trust is not authorised to vaccinate rabid dogs mdash that responsibility lies with WVS and Rane Trust VasaiVirar has a serious rabies problem and mass vaccination is the only longterm solution We started in May and currently sterilise around 1200 dogs a month Societies call for pickup but refuse to take the dogs back after sterilisation Cooperation is crucialrdquoManoj Pratap Rane of Prataprao Rane Educational amp Charitable Trust which handles about 600 dogs per month said ldquoWe sterilised around 2300 dogs and vaccinated 3246 till August The average treatment time is still five days not 15 days but it depends on each dog We cannot release a dog until itrsquos completely fit False assumptions donrsquot helprdquoHe stressed that the issue requires a coordinated central response ldquoThere are 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra and the problem exists everywhere Dogs too have the right to roam We need support from animal feeders and municipal corporations a central decision is neededrdquo A senior civic official admitted that the sterilisation rate remains below required levels ldquoWe need more trained NGOs and better public participationrdquo the official saidBigger pictureldquoSterilisation vaccination and waste management must go hand in hand or these efforts are just temporary fixesrdquo said Dr Rahul Sankhe a Palgharbased veterinary expert ldquoReal progress will happen only when population control measures move faster than the rate of reproductionrdquo Meanwhile residents like Narayan Singh Rajput are demanding answers for the crores spent echoing Sujata Sarkarrsquos plea for online tracking mandatory postmortems for animal deaths and immediate inspection of the NGO facilitiesVasaiVirar stray dog crisis 20212025Total dog bites 125841Average daily bites 60Dogs sterilised 17112Money spent R278 crore sterilisation R6 crore vaccinesActive centres 2Main NGOs Janice Smith Animal Welfare Trust Prataprao Rane Educational amp Charitable Trust