Pune: An Army doctor posted at Southern Command Hospital has reported being charged at by a pack of stray dogs outside the Vishwamitra Colony residential quarters in Ghorpadi on Monday evening. The incident has reignited concerns about instances of stray animal-human conflict in Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) limits, with a blame game erupting among authorities and animal welfare workers about the lack of stray population management. The incident occurred around 6.30pm, when the Colonel, a super-specialist doctor in his field, was stepping out to drop his daughter for tuition classes. “The officer said the pack of stray dogs sitting near the gate suddenly lunged and bit him on his legs. He suffered some injuries but is now stable after receiving treatment at Command Hospital,” a senior Army officer told TOI. Military personnel and their families said the population of stray dogs in cantonment limits is unchecked due to lack of animal birth control (ABC) drives by authorities. Residents said the issue affects not only civilian zones, including areas like Ghorpadi and Wanowrie, but also high-security residential colonies and schools in the limits. “PCB has hired a private agency to carry out vaccination and sterilisation drives for stray dogs, but there has been no visible impact on the ground,” said an Army officer. A PCB official admitted, choosing anonymity, “For the last few years, the board has been unable to carry out large-scale sterilisations due to lack of funds. This has led to a rise in the stray dog population.” Another Army officer said feeding spots are also an issue. “We have told dog feeders not to provide food in residential areas. However, they cite ABC Rules and court orders. This ties our hands legally,” he said, adding, “We have now sought help from the Wanowrie police for a solution.” Interestingly, animal activist Vineeta Tandon, who has been working on dog sterilisations in cantonment areas for the last few years, blamed the Dakshin Maharashtra and Goa Sub Area — the Local Military Authority — for not cooperating in ABC drives. “We have made multiple correspondences to LMA requesting permission to carry out sterilisations in military areas. But they paid no heed to our requests. As a result, we couldn’t achieve the desired results,” she explained. Tandon added, “We were never allowed to conduct a drive to sterilize and vaccinate dogs in the Vishwamitra Colony residential quarters. And now, they are bringing up dog bite cases. They need to provide proof.” Tackling the issue of designated dog feeding spots created by LMA and PCB, animal activists said these are “unscientific”. “We have been urging these authorities to set up a committee as per ABC Rules to fix feeding points in the limits. But they have not done so. Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad municipal corporations (PMC and PCMC) have set up committees for this purpose. Why hasn’t PCB done so?” asked Tandon. Another activist pointed out that Army authorities need to work in tandem with animal welfare workers to find a comprehensive and humane solution to the entire situation. “Their approach and attitude towards this issue is unscientific and goes against rules. Therefore, the problem on ground remains as is,” said the activist. Another volunteer pointed out that it has been at least four years since PCB took sterilisation and vaccination drives seriously. He alleged, “We have also seen new stray dogs illegally relocated in PCB limits by PMC. These dogs struggle to survive in new areas and could become aggressive. That also eventually could result in attacks.”
