THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In light of the increasing stray dog menace, officials at the Vellanad KSRTC depot have filed a complaint with the Vellanad panchayat seeking urgent intervention. The complaint was lodged on Friday after a 16-year-old girl was bitten by a stray dog near the depot.
According to depot staff, the girl had just gotten off a bus on Thursday morning when she was bitten by the dog on her leg. Later, another girl who had arrived with her family was also attacked by the dog, but she escaped without any injuries.
“This is not the first time such an incident has happened. Our staff and passengers are at risk daily. We have informed the panchayat multiple times, but no concrete action has been taken yet,” said a depot official.
The concern has been mounting for months, with several attacks reported in and around the depot. Two weeks ago, a KSRTC driver Baiju was bitten by a stray dog while on duty. A month ago, a homemaker from Companymukku was attacked in front of the depot. Stray dog attacks have also been reported from Vellanad Junction and nearby areas.
Responding to the complaints, Vellanad panchayat vice-president Vellanad Sreekandan admitted that the situation has become alarming.
“Human lives are more important. We have vaccinated the dogs and marked them with numbers before releasing them. However, to completely eliminate the threat, culling the dogs is the only solution, but there is no law for that. We are helpless,” said Sreekandan.
The vice-president also pointed out that the government had suggested setting up shelters for stray dogs, but the initiative failed due to high maintenance costs. Meanwhile, the panchayat has issued strict instructions to travellers and employees to stop feeding stray dogs to curb their presence near public spaces.