Fed up with dog menace, protesters release strays inside Nashik civic chief’s office

Yuva Sena activists released stray dogs inside the Niphad Nagar Panchayat officeNASHIK: In a unique protest against the growing stray dog menace, Yuva Sena district chief Vikram Randhave and his supporters on Wednesday released four to five small stray dogs inside the office of the chief officer of the Niphad Nagar Panchayat.The protesters also placed the dogs on Chief Officer Dheeraj Bhamre's table and adorned it with a garland made of currency notes to express their anger over the civic body's alleged failure to address the issue.The protesters claimed that the stray dog population in Niphad town and its surrounding areas has increased significantly, leading to several dog-bite incidents. According to them, children, women, senior citizens and two-wheeler riders are among those most affected. They alleged that packs of stray dogs have created an atmosphere of fear among residents and increased the risk of attacks as well as road accidents.Randhave said citizens had repeatedly demanded measures such as sterilisation drives, dog-catching squads and sustained population-control programmes. However, despite several complaints and memorandums submitted to the administration, no effective action had been taken, he alleged.The agitators said the unusual protest was intended to directly convey the gravity of the issue to the civic administration. The release of the dogs inside the office triggered a brief commotion at the Nagar Panchayat headquarters.Stating that "people no longer want assurances, they want action", the protesters warned that they would intensify the agitation if the administration failed to address the problem. Randhave said residents would once again resort to protests inside government offices if concrete steps were not initiated.Chief Officer Dheeraj Bhamre later assured the protesters that the administration would immediately review the issue. He said the Nagar Panchayat had already initiated measures for the sterilisation of stray dogs and would take further steps to control the growing stray dog population in the town.