ROURKELA: A delegation of Congress leaders on Friday met Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) Commissioner Dibyajyoti Parida seeking his intervention in stray dog menace in the city.
With the number of stray dogs increasing in Rourkela, former Rourkela District Congress Committee president Biren Senapati claimed that 500 dog bite cases have been reported in January alone. He further claimed that the vaccination and sterilisation of dogs have been stopped and the dog catching squad of the RMC functions occasionally.
The Congress members demanded the RMC to contain canine menace, strengthen capacity of dog kennel and control breeding of stray dogs.
The RMC Deputy Commissioner Sudhanshu Bhoi informed that the crackdown on stray dogs has been continuing over the past several days across the RMC limits and the Rourkela Industrial Township of Rourkela Steel Plant. He assured of looking into the demand.
Meanwhile, Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH) Superintendent Dr DB Panda said dog bite cases received by the RGH from across the district and adjacent pockets of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh on a daily basis have reduced by 30 to 40 per cent.
The agitators were led by former Birmitrapur MLA George Tirkey.