WATCH: ‘Will You Wait Until People Die?’ NCP Protests Rising Dog Attacks, Threatens To Bring Rabid Dogs Inside PCMC Office

Pimpri-Chinchwad: The Pimpri-Chinchwad city unit of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) staged a protest outside the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) administrative building on Thursday over the rising number of stray dog attacks in the city. An individual in canine-themed attire was observed at the meeting, vocalising in a manner consistent with barking towards the administration.

As the PCMC general body meeting was underway, protesters brought pet dogs into the civic premises and raised slogans against the administration. They demanded immediate action to control the stray dog population and sought action against officials for failing to address the issue.

‘People Cannot Go For Morning Walks’

Bhausaheb Bhoir, The leader of the opposition in the PCMC said the issue of stray and rabid dogs had been repeatedly raised by corporators, but the situation had not improved. “People cannot go for morning walks. Dogs attacked a young girl a few days ago. A situation has been created in our own city where we have to step outside with security,” Bhoir said.

He said he had held a meeting with the civic administration on Wednesday and was told that the veterinary department lacked manpower. “That is PCMC’s lookout. Reduce your focus on big tender processes and focus where the public is terrified due to dogs,” Bhoir said. He questioned whether the civic body was following all rules and warned the administration against waiting for a fatal incident before taking action. “Will you wait until people die?” he asked.

Bhoir also criticised the administration over the management of waste following the Moshi garbage depot disaster. He said the civic administration needed to take repeated accidents and public safety concerns seriously. He appealed to newly appointed PCMC Commissioner Dr Vijay Suryawanshi to address the issue. “You are newly appointed, and while you alone cannot correct all previous sins, you can at least address them and try to solve them,” Bhoir said.

Bhoir's Warning To PCMC…

He said the protest was not linked to one particular dog attack. The NCP would continue to raise the issue until the situation improved, he added. Bhoir also issued a warning to the civic administration. He said protesters would bring stray dogs into the PCMC building if no concrete action was taken.

The protest comes amid growing concern over dog attacks in Pimpri-Chinchwad. A recent incident in Chinchwade Nagar involved a child being surrounded by four to five stray dogs. The incident was captured on CCTV, while nearby residents rushed to rescue the child.

PCMC data also shows a sharp rise in dog bite cases. The civic body recorded 38,004 dog bite cases in 2025-26. Between April and July 2026, another 13,615 cases were reported. The number of cases has increased significantly over the past decade. PCMC recorded 10,165 dog bite cases in 2015-16. The figure rose to 28,099 in 2024-25 before reaching 38,004 in 2025-26.

‘Efforts Underway’

The PCMC administration, meanwhile, said it was taking steps to strengthen its sterilisation programme. Sandeep Khot, Deputy Commissioner of the PCMC Veterinary Department, had said the number of cages at the dog sterilisation centre in Nehru Nagar would be increased. Manpower would also be increased to carry out more sterilisation surgeries, he had said some days ago.

PCMC health officials also said treatment is available for people bitten by dogs. Dr Laxman Gophane, Health Medical Officer of PCMC, had said rabies vaccines are provided free of cost at Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital. The continued rise in dog bite cases has put further pressure on the civic administration to strengthen sterilisation, monitoring and stray dog management across Pimpri-Chinchwad.