Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Aiming to make Indore ‘rabies free’ city and to control stray dog menace, Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) has chalked out a six-point plan and even started working on it from the major hotspot area of dog bite cases, Musakhedi.
Led by commissioner Harshika Singh, the civic body has planned to run the campaign similar to the cleanliness campaign which brought laurels to the city for seven times consecutively.
“We have intensified actions to make the city rabies free and also to control the stray dog menace. Along with spreading awareness for the same, we are also seeking community participation, and joint efforts of various departments to get rid of the major issues,” Harshika Singh said.
Explaining about the plan, the IMC commissioner said that six-point plan includes hotspot mapping, awareness drive, QRT, feeder cards distribution, and active participation of schools’ kids.
“We have intensified the activities in hotspot areas. Our main focus is on hotspot areas and later we will expand it across the city"
-IMC Commissioner Harshika Singh
IMC Commissioner HarshikaSIngh shares the action plan
1 Hotspot mapping: IMC has been mapped the hotspots on the basis of dog bite cases data available with the health department. A list of 35 hotspots has been shared by the health department and IMC has initiated action with the major hotspot Musakhedi.
1 (a) Vaccination and sterilization: With hotspot mapping, IMC has launched an intensified drive to vaccinate all dogs with anti-rabies vaccine and also actively sterilizing the dog population in the area
2 Awareness: IMC has divided the awareness plan in two categories i.e. to prevent the dog bite cases, and to rope in NGOs and agencies involved in cleanliness drive to take up the initiative.
2 (a) Prevention of dog bite cases: The civic body will follow the same plan of awareness which is being used for cleanliness drive including playing jingles of IMC’s garbage collection vehicles. Disseminating information, education, and communication for the same.
2 (b) Action to taken after dog bite: With health department, IMC has been strengthening the 26 centers prepared by IMC where treatment of dog bite and anti-rabies vaccine is available.
2 (c) NGOs participation: Increasing participation of NGOs to take up the drive and to run various activities for the same.
3 ORT Teams: IMC has also set up quick response teams to control the dog bite menace and to act quickly if any dog bite incident has taken place.
4 Feeder Cards:In one of the unique initiatives, IMC has been distributing feeder cards to the residents who will take up the charge to feed the dogs. The IMC commissioner said that hunger is also a reason due to which dogs get irritated and attacks on humans. “We have even mapping the number of dogs on every street of the hotspot and preparing teams of residents who can identify a common place and take up the institutional way to feed the stray dogs. The card will help them to avoid unwanted trouble in feeding the canines,” Singh said.
IMC organized a camp in Musakhedi on Thursday and distributed feeder cards to many residents.
5 Collaborating with other departments: IMC has also collaborating with various departments including health, animal husbandry, veterinary, school education, and others to play their part in making the city rabies free.
6 Awareness from roots: The IMC commissioner said that they have dashed off a letter to the school principals to spread awareness among school kids against dog bite cases, reasons, steps of prevention, and to teach others. “We have dashed of a letter to school principals for the same. We believe that making school kids aware strengthen the roots of awareness and they can spread others in a better way.
Over 43,970 dog bite cases in a year
Cases in 2024
January 2024: 4907
February 2023: 4225
Dog Bites in 2022 and 2023
