CUTTACK: Taking serious note of canine menace at the National Law University of Odisha (NLUO), the Orissa High Court on Monday directed the commissioner of Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) to engage the city health officer to ensure that unruly stray dogs are removed from the campus within 24 hours i.e., by 4 pm on Tuesday.
The court ordered the CMC to submit a compliance report on Wednesday. The division bench of Chief Justice Subhasis Talapatra and Justice Savitri Ratho issued the order on a PIL filed by NLUO. The bench took up the petition on special notice on Monday as it felt the case required urgent disposal.
The order stated that NLUO filed the petition demanding removal of stray dogs from the campus as they were causing threat to the life of Aditya Ray Choudhury, a first year student who suffers from cerebral palsy and 65 per cent disability. The student was chased by the dogs around 15 times and detained seven times during the last one month. Aditya was last attacked on August 26. Since then, he has been suffering from acute anxiety and unstable blood pressure.
HC orders removal of stray dogs from NLUO campus
While his physical and mental health has been severely affected, he was taken to the hospital on August 27 for his unstable blood pressure.
According to the petition, around 15 to 20 stray dogs have been involved in attacking and biting Aditya and the security staff who tried to protect him. Due to the ongoing mating season, the dogs in the campus have become more aggressive.
The university campus was not the original habitat of the stray dogs. They have migrated from nearby locations like Brajabiharipur and Naraj. A request letter on the stray dog menace in the campus was sent to the CMC’s city health officer on August 7, the petition stated.