The Telangana High Court has directed the state government to chalk out an action plan to tackle the stray dog menace in Hyderabad after the authorities informed that there are 3.79 lakh stray dogs in the limits of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation.

Countless attacks by stray dogs have happened in a number of places in the entire state with children being particularly vulnerable.

The Opposition BRS has been critical of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for failing to appoint a full-time municipal administration minister when incidents of dog bites have increased to epic proportions.

Recently, an 18-month-old boy succumbed to his injuries after being attacked by stray dogs at Jawahar Nagar in Medchal area in the vicinity of the city. In Huzurabad, 21 people, including women and children, were bitten by a pack of stray dogs on a single day. The pack even attacked a group of eight sanitation workers, mauling one of them grievously.

The government informed the court that there are approximately 3.79 lakh stray dogs, expressing helplessness over the proposal to shift the canine population to shelters. The court directed the authorities to come up with a plan of action to protect small children from dog bites by the next hearing.

Chief Minister Revanth Reddy recently directed officials to set up a call centre or a toll-free number to receive complaints from locals over stray dogs. He also ordered them to set up an expert committee with voluntary organisations like Blue Cross with veterinary doctors to tackle the menace, particularly to find out the causes of the canine attacks. He also asked them to ensure an ample supply of medicines for treating dog bites.

However, the BRS attacked the Chief Minister, claiming that 15 persons, including 10 children, have died so far due to dog bites. It also alleged that 239 dog bite incidents took place during the 206 days of the current Congress rule. “Telangana does not have a full-time municipal administration minister even after seven months of Congress rule. Revanth (Reddy) who holds the municipal administration portfolio is either going up and down to Delhi or poaching,” said BRS leader Konatham Dileep while demanding a full-time municipal administration minister to address the stray dog menace.