BANGALORE: Public safety has become an area of concern after the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike went on a drive a few weeks ago and caught many dogs from across the city.

Several citizens are complaining that after neighbourhood street dogs were taken away, new dogs, most not sterilised, have entered the area.

These dogs, they say, pose a serious safety hazard.

For instance, at Chandra Layout, where five-year-old Sridevi was killed by a pack of street dogs in January this year, things have deteriorated.

K.N. Chandrasekhar, a resident, says that the number of dogs in his area has increased after the dog catching drive was taken up by the BBMP.

"Now, there are dogs that do not belong to the area. These are bigger and more ferocious ones. Summer is holiday time for my children but I cannot let them out for fear that they might be hurt," he says.

One resident of Richmond Town, who didn't want her name mentioned, said she has seen a number of new dogs entering the area after the BBMP drive.

"These dogs are not neutered. Some of the female dogs are in heat which means that there are going to be more puppies soon," she said. This is the same situation at Johnson Market too, she adds.

L. Srinivasan, a resident of Vasanthnagar, says almost every night they hear or see dogs fighting.

"About 15 dogs, not neutered, are fighting for territorial space with some of the other dogs who have been here for several years. The streets have become dangerous as the new dogs are not able to garner enough of the available food," he said.

These observations are an unpleasant reminder of the fact that the BBMP's drive has been unscientific.

Even though the BBMP had said that only ferocious dogs would be caught and sterilised, there have been several instances of tame dogs being caught.

Arbitrary

Sujaya Jagadish, an animal lover, says that she has seen at least three such instances where dogs were taken away in an arbitrary manner.

"On March 9, I saw some dogs being caught at R.T. Nagar and actually followed the van. These dogs had collars on them as far as I could see. They were left on the Outer Ring Road," she claims.

At the time of this knee-jerk reaction, several animal welfare organisations had said that taking away dogs from an area would leave a void, which would be filled by dogs from surrounding areas.

They had also said that the new dogs, unfamiliar to the surroundings, could feel threatened and attack residents of the area. However, nothing of that sort has happened.

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