The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is all set to roll out a new multi-stage program to handle the growing challenge of street dogs while ensuring public safety and animal welfare. At the heart of the initiative is a unique awareness drive targeted at schoolchildren - a group often caught between fear and curiosity when it comes to 'man's best friend'.
Officials pointed out that many children tend to throw stones, tease, or try to run when a dog shows aggression. These actions, though innocent, officials pointed out that many children tend to throw stones, tease, or try to run when a dog shows aggression. These actions, though innocent in intent, often trigger further hostility from the animals.
To break this cycle, NMC intends to conduct awareness sessions in both government and private schools in a bid to sensitise children towards stray dogs. Principals and headmasters will be roped in to organise these programmes, which will teach children not only how to behave around dogs but also the correct steps to follow in case of a dog bite.
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To strengthen the program, NMC has also launched special helplines. Citizens can immediately call for assistance in case of a dog bite. Once a complaint is received, ASHA workers or health staff will be sent to the victim's home. Their job will be to guide families, monitor the patient, and ensure proper medical care is taken. Simultaneously, the dog involved in the bite incident will be identified, captured, and kept under shelter observation for 10 days the critical window during which rabies or other infections, if present, usually show up.
According to civic officials, Nagpur's street dog population has crossed 1.10 lakh this year. Out of this, nearly 75,000 dogs have already been vaccinated against rabies and about 42,000 sterilised. The steril-isation drive, NMC clarified, will be further expanded to check population growth and reduce future conflicts.
The civic body is also introducing a new system for dog feeding. At least two des-ignated spots will be identified in each zone of the city where citizens can feed street dogs. Feeding will be permitted only at these earmarked points to avoid clashes between residents and animal feeders, a problem that has often led to disputes in housing colonies.
Officials said this policy aims to strike a balance between compassion and safety. On one hand, children will grow up with awareness on how to coexist with street dogs without fear; on the other, swift medical and monitoring systems will minimise risks in case of a bite.
With structured feeding zones, vaccination, and sterilisation drives running parallel, the NMC hopes to turn what is now a tense issue into a model of humane urban management. Dog lovers said that the initiative was welcome while two-wheeler riders, who often get chased in the after-hours, were sceptical of the strategy. Adv Sanjiv Kapoor, a known dog lover said that the step was in the positive direction while Malcolm Bhangara and Mangal Singh, who use two-wheelers to move around the city, felt it won't solve the immediate issue of getting chased by "notorious and identified culprits in dark lanes." Only time will tell how effective this move has been, they maintained.