Vijay Goel meets locals to address concern over stray dog attacks in city

New Delhi: Former Union minister and BJP leader Vijay Goel held meetings with the residents of Rohini Sector 3 and Paschim Vihar to

address their growing concern over stray dog attacks in the national Capital.

It was a part of an ongoing campaign led by Goel’s organisation Lok Abhiyan which has been working on the issue over the past two years. “There are so many stray dogs in our street that I feel scared to step out of the house. They keep

barking all night. Children cannot play outdoors,” said Neelam Ahuja, a resident of Rohini.

Another resident claimed that feeding stray dogs often leads to altercations. “Those feeding dogs call the police if we raise concern. All stray dogs should be sterilised

to stem their rising population which now stands at eight lakh,” he said.

Vijay Goel said the purpose of the initiative is to protect both people and animals

while providing a humane solution to the issue.

“We are trying to ensure dignity for dogs as well. But with nearly 20,000 dog bite cases being reported every day in the country, people may start to resent them. Controlling their population is necessary,” he said.

He claimed Delhi alone has more than 8 lakh stray dogs, and nearly 2,000 dog bite cases are reported daily. “At the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, around 200 such cases are registered every day,” the former minister said. He also criticised the handling of the issue by government agencies.

“The Ministry of Animal Husbandry, Delhi Health Ministry, state governments, and local authorities are all responsible. In Delhi, the MCD has assigned the task of sterilisation to just 12 NGOs, many of which face allegations of corruption,” Goel claimed.

He added that Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) across Delhi are willing to collaborate for a practical and humane solution to the issue.