KOCHI: Life had turned upside down for Saidalavi on that fateful day in 2016 when a stray dog dashed into his scooter. The Ottapalam native suffered grievous injuries and survived only because of sheer luck.
Saidalavi can now heave a sigh of relief as he would be getting Rs 18 lakh as compensation, the highest amount to paid by the state government. The allotment followed a recommendation by Justice Siri Jagan Committee, which fixed compensation for stray-dog attack victims in the state.
“Saidalavi’s wife raised the claim for compensation in 2016 and now we’ve received a government order to disburse the compensation amount to his wife Fathima K,” said Ottappalam Municipality secretary Seena H.
The state government has so far shelled out nearly `1 crore as compensation to 130 victims between 2016 and 2019. Of the total, seven have been allotted `1 lakh or more while the least amount — `12,000 — was given to Omana K P of Thiruvaniyoor, Tripunithura.
The state had initially felt the compensation was a bit too generous, but later decided to comply with Supreme Court-led committee’s order. The government issued the order on February 28, asking local bodies to pay the compensation.
Humane Society International’s outreach coordinator Sally Varma said creating awareness was the way to bring down stray dog attacks.
“People of Kerala have been associating rabbies with stray dogs for a few years. The misconception has turned the stray dog-human relationship hostile,” Sally said, adding unscientific animal birth control drive was also a cause for concern. “We need to sensitise people about handling stray dogs. Now, they’re brutally hunted down. In fact, it has resulted in the conflict between stray dogs and human beings,” she said.
A government data says more than 1.30 lakh people had suffered stray dog bite till November 2019. The government told the assembly that 1.34 lakh people had sought treatment across for dog attacks in 2019.