13,225 Dog Bites Despite ₹40 Lakh Sterilisation Spend In 4 Years; Opposition Brings ‘Dog’ To Collector’s Office

Khandwa (Madhya Pradesh): An unusual symbolic protest was staged during the public hearing at the collector's office on Tuesday over the growing stray dog problem in Khandwa.

Municipal corporation leader of the opposition Deepak Mullu Rathore arrived with a person dressed symbolically as a dog to draw attention to increasing dog-bite incidents in the city.

Rathore claimed that the Khandwa Municipal Corporation had spent around Rs 40 lakh on sterilisation of stray dogs over the past four years.

Despite the expenditure, he said, 13,225 people were reportedly bitten by dogs during the same period.

He questioned the effectiveness of the sterilisation programme and demanded an inquiry into the expenditure, the number of dogs sterilised, payments made to the agency involved and the impact of the campaign.

He also sought an effective plan to control the stray dog population and improve public safety, particularly for children, elderly people, pedestrians and two-wheeler riders.

Advocate Sunil Chandel also expressed concern over the issue, saying stray dogs had become a public safety concern beyond routine municipal management.

The symbolic protest drew attention from people at the public hearing, with several gathering to watch the demonstration. Rathore urged the administration to conduct a transparent review and fix responsibility if irregularities are found.