Gzb: Fear of stray dogs looms over residents of Ajnara Integrity

Ghaziabad: The residents of Ajnara Integrity Apartments in Raj Nagar Extension are scared of stepping out of their homes because of the fear of stray dogs. The rising and frequent incidents of dog bites in the residential society premises has created fear among the residents as the dogs are attacking not only the children but the adults too.

A recent attack on a 5-year-old boy has left the residents terrified and agitated. The boy was playing with his friends and brothers when a group of strays came running for him and bit him. His grandmother, who was fortunately present there, rushed with other people to save him. "We don't allow our children to leave home alone because of the fear of dog attacks," says Al Yaseen Ansari, his father.

The issue of dog bites is not new here. The residents have been facing the problem for the last 4-5 years. It has become hard for people to leave their homes without taking anything for their protection. Residents of the society have taken a few legal actions by filing complaints to the municipality and asking them for sterilization of the stray dogs.

Venkatesh, the secretary of Ajnara Integrity says, "We have tried our level best to highlight this issue in front of the Municipal Corporation and have filed many complaints but so far no action has been taken. Since September 1, 2021, at least 20 cases of dog bites have happened in our society."

According to the residents, elder people often fall prey to dog bites in the basement area while parking their vehicles. Children also often become the victim of such attacks in the playground area. The condition has gone so out of hand that residents now carry a stick or any other preventive item while stepping out of their homes. The authorities of the society have also posted a total of four guards in the basement to keep the stray dogs at bay but that also doesn't seem to work.

"Cases of dog bites happen almost every other day in our society. The group of dogs also have attacked the guards who are posted to protect us from the dog bites", says Venkatesh.

To raise the issue, residents have also turned to social media. They tweet about the incidents, however, there has been no effective response from the authorities concerned.