Chhattisgarh: Civic body launches stray dog control drive after death of 5-year-old in Korba

Korba/Raipur, July 17 (IANS) The Municipal Corporation of Korba has swung into swift action following the tragic death of five-year-old Prakash Patel, who was brutally mauled by a pack of stray dogs in the Dadar area.

On Friday, Municipal Commissioner Ashutosh Pandey, accompanied by his team, visited the site to assess the situation and console the grieving family.

The incident has sparked widespread outrage among residents.

A five-year-old boy, Prakash Patel, was tragically mauled to death by a pack of five to six stray dogs in the Dadar area of Korba on Thursday. The Class 1 student, son of labourer Kishore Patel from Janjgir district, was returning home after visiting his father when the dogs suddenly attacked him around 4 p.m. Despite his father’s desperate efforts to save him, Prakash suffered severe injuries to his head, neck, and genital area. He was declared dead on arrival at the hospital, leaving the locality in shock and outrage.

In response to the tragedy, the Municipal Corporation, on the instructions of the Mayor, has announced immediate financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh to Prakash’s bereaved family. Commissioner Pandey stated that this support would help the family during their difficult time, highlighting the growing menace of stray dogs in the city.

Commissioner Pandey held detailed discussions with local residents and police officials during his visit. After inspecting the area where the attack took place, he immediately directed officials to launch a special drive to capture stray dogs.

Municipal teams swung into operation in Dadar and surrounding localities, catching between 15 and 20 dogs. All captured animals have been shifted to the corporation’s designated shelter for sterilisation.

The Commissioner described the child’s death as deeply tragic and assured that the administration would work earnestly to prevent such heartbreaking incidents in the future. He noted that the Municipal Corporation had already been running special drives to control the stray dog population.

Over the past months, more than 1,000 dogs have been sterilised at the corporation’s facility, and these efforts will be intensified further. The unfortunate incident occurred on Thursday when little Prakash had gone to meet his father, Kishore Patel, a daily wage labourer originally from Janjgir district, who works and resides in the Dadar area with his family.

While the child was returning home, a pack of stray dogs chased and attacked him mercilessly. The family rushed the critically injured boy to the hospital, but doctors declared him brought dead.

The incident has triggered strong public anger over the unchecked proliferation of stray dogs in the Dadar locality.

–IANS

sktr/uk