Hyderabad: Who let the dogs out?

Hyderabad: The dog menace in the Gopalnagar area has reached alarming proportion, posing a serious threat to residents' lives, and consequently, locals appealed to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) to save them.

For over a month now, the number of stray dogs in the Gopalnagar area has been increasing and trying to attack children playing on the roads. Recently, a young boy was attacked by stray dogs while the boy was riding his bicycle. The children are scared to move around the area during evening hours as the dogs bark and try to hurt the children.

"A few years ago Gopalnagar use to have around 10-15 dogs now the count has become 200. Is it not GHMC's failure to find a solution to check the rising stray dog population?" ask residents.

A resident Kiran Rao said, "No frequent inspection is carried out by GHMC staff, they only react when any incident occurs." "There are many female dogs and, they have their small puppies in tow. Seeing them children try to touch or go near to them which is not liked by a female dog and she attacks children," said a resident Sunil Reddy

However, the civic body claims to have solved the dog menace in Gopalnagar but residents deny it. "We keep lodging complaints with the department but no dog-catching vehicles are being sent in areas where dog biting cases have been reported, '' said Ashok, another resident.

The area is occupied by stray dogs as the their number has increased despite scores of complaints to the GHMC. "Even after many complaints to the GHMC we are facing neglect, there have been several dog biting cases in the area," said Vamsi, a resident.