College throws open challenge to civic bodies.
Several political leaders and organizations have raised their voice to find a solution to the problem of stray dog menace in Kerala. Now, the alumni association of a college in the state has announced gold coins to civic authorities for killing maximum number of stray dogs.
The Old Students Welfare Association of Pala-based St. Thomas College in Kottayam district has declared the award for the panchayats, municipalities, and corporations across the state for killing maximum number of stray dogs till December 10, reported PTI.
The announcement was made in the wake of rising stray dog attacks in the state in which four persons have lost their life and more than 700 have been injured in just four months.
“We are planning to give the gift to panchayat presidents and municipality chairmen in the state who lead in killing the maximum number of stray dogs. Our aim is to ensure the safety of people from violent canines,” James Pambaykkal, Association General Secretary, said.
The association has started collecting contributions from its 1200 members for arranging the gold coins. The number and weight of coins will be decided according to the amount collected from the members.
Pambaykkal said that the association is trying to end the stray dog menace with the participation of people as the government is not taking any action. The association has earlier offered air-guns at a subsidized rate for dealing with the issue of violent dogs.
The issue of stray dog menace in Kerala had made national headlines after a 65-year-old woman was mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs in Thiruvananthapuram district in August. Several incidents of dog bites have been reported in the state after the stray dog attack in Thiruvananthapuram.
In October, a 90-year-old man was mauled to death by a pack of violent stray dogs at Varkala in Thiruvananthapuram.
Last month, members of the Kerala Youth Front (Mani) – the youth wing of the political party Kerala Congress (Mani), killed 10 stray dogs, tied them to a pole and paraded it in Kottayam district in a protest against Union Minister Maneka Gandhi who had warned the state government against killing stray dogs.
While outraged people call for killing stray dogs to put an end to the menace, the government says that dogs cannot be killed considering the rules prevailing in the country.