CHANDIGARH – When the case hovering around stray dog menace in Chandigarh comes up for hearing on April 28, the Punjab and Haryana High Court will also look into the problem hounding the people of Punjab and Haryana.
A Division Bench of the High Court has issued notice of motion to Punjab and Haryana through the Principal Secretary, Department of Local Bodies, after taking suo motu cognisance of the matter.
Taking up the “court on its own motion” or suo motu case, the Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice PB Bajanthri asserted “the menace of stray dogs has become an alarming issue anywhere and everywhere”.
The matter was initially brought to the High Court’s notice by Gurmukh Singh. In his petition against the Union Territory of Chandigarh through counsel Kunal Mulwani, he underscored the menace of street dogs in the city, particularly the Rose Garden.
The petitioner had alleged that he was chased by street dogs while on a morning walk in February this year. He said several cases of dog bite had been reported in the area.
In his petition, he questioned: “Whether there was a need to have separate ponds, shelters for dogs so that they do not prove to be a menace to the public; and whether in the eventuality of a dog bite at a public place, the corporation is liable to pay compensation to the citizen.”
