Thane: Around 500 stray dogs were vaccinated against rabies in a unique initiative held by NGO Posh and social activist Swapnil Mahindrakar from Thane on Saturday and Sunday. Radium belts were put on the neck of 250 dogs so that they can be saved from accidents in the dark.
As per the TMC data, in the last three and half years, there have been more than 30,000 cases of dog bites. In 2022, there was a case wherein a dog had bitten at least 34 people in the Wagle Estate area.
500 stray dogs vaccinated by social activist & NGO Posh in Thane | Prashant Narvekar
Dogs not vaccinated by TMC after 2019
Swapnil Mahindrakar, a social activist from Thane said, "As stray dogs have not been vaccinated or even caught and taken to the veterinary clinic for vaccination by the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), NGO Posh, that works for stray dogs, and myself, organised a two-day event in Thane and vaccinated around 500 stray dogs and also put radium belts around the necks of around 250 stray dogs to save them from accidents."
There are more than 70,000 stray dogs in Thane, out of which the municipal veterinary department has sterilised more than 58,000 dogs between the years 2014 and 2019. Still, the fear of stray dogs is increasing in the area. Many dogs have also died due to rabies due to the non-implementation of this campaign by the administration for the last three and half years.
Mahindrakar said, "The fear of stray dogs has increased in the areas of Majiwada, Kopri, Naupada, Pokhran 2, Lokmanya Nagar in Thane city. Many people in this area have been bitten by dogs and it is reported that around 4500 people have been bitten in the city in the last few months."
"The shocking information has come to light that stray dogs are not vaccinated against rabies on behalf of TMC. Every year stray dogs are vaccinated in large numbers on behalf of BMC so the incidents of dog bites is also less in those area. The reason for the dog bites in Thane is the negligence of the veterinary department of the TMC. Due the to non-vaccination of stray dogs, the rate of rabies is increasing in them and due to this, the incidence of stray dogs biting residents is also increasing," said Mahindrakar.
Dog lover slams snail's pace of TMC's veterinary department
Sayli Narvekar, a dog lover from Thane said, "There is a law for the settlement and sterilisation of stray dogs. In this regard, the law has also given instructions on how to deal with stray dogs. However, it is seen that the veterinary medical department is taking action in this regard at a snail's pace. Meanwhile, since the veterinary department is not taking any action regarding these stray dogs, stray dogs are being vaccinated on behalf of some social organizations. For the past few days, along with stray dogs, the problem of pet dogs is also getting serious and many people have been bitten by dogs being taken from the elevator."
Huge lag in TMC's work: NGO
NGO Posh and social activist Swapnil Mahindrakar for the last few years have been vaccinating 500 stray dogs against rabies. One of the founders of NGO Posh said, "70 to 80 dogs are required to be sterilised and vaccinated per day. Sterilization and anti-rabies vaccination should be done to control the population of stray dogs in municipal and gram panchayat areas as well. It is necessary to continue this campaign consistently. But even now only 4 to 5 dogs are sterilised in the sterilisation center of the TMC. It should be 70 to 80 dogs per day. Also, many times when the tender period of the TMC expires, this centre remains closed for some time. Therefore, the problem of stray dogs is becoming serious day by day. The veterinary department of TMC should create awareness about vaccination of stray dogs, to help reduce the incidence of rabies in those dogs. The veterinary department needs to be more prepared to reduce the menace of stray dogs in Thane."
