June 15, 2006	Thursday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 18, 1427

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NAWABSHAH, June 14: The district health department and taluka municipal administration have failed to curb the menace of stray dogs, despite an alarming increase in cases of dog-bite.

Scores of stray dogs can be seen in the city, around the office of the Nawabshah taluka municipal administration and in the Peoples Medical College Hospital.

People have lodged a lot of complaints with TMA and the EDO health against the problem, but to no avail.

When contacted, EDO health Dr Abdul Khalique Mangnejo said the killing of stray dogs was not the job of the health department. The department was supposed to provide ARVs to victims of dog-bite, he added.

The EDO said he had verbally requested the Nawabshah TMO to launch a campaign against stray dogs.

The director-general health had written a letter to all the EDOs of Sindh to run a campaign against stray dogs mentioning that dog-bite cases were increasing and demand of ARVs could not be met due to budgetary constraints and inadequate supply of vaccines from the National Institute of Health Islamabad, which was a sole authority to provide it.

Another letter was written by the deputy secretary technical to all the nazims and DCOs of Sindh on May 30, mentioning that menace of stray dogs was increasing day by day.

DEMO: Hundreds of people of the Maryam Road staged a demonstration in front of the press club against police for allegedly supporting killers of Munawar Rangrez, here on Wednesday.

Led by UC-8 Nazim Dr Shafi Mohammad, Rangrez’s father Sharafuddin, former naib nazim Mohammad Khalid and Ali Asghar Malik, protesters were carrying placards and chanting slogans against the investigation police.

Munawar Rangrez, a young boy, was killed at the Maryam Road a few days ago.

They alleged that the investigation police had taken heavy bribe from the killers and wanted to remove the names of nominated persons from the FIR.

They said Anwar, Aslam, Saleem and Mohammad, who were nominated in FIR, were being treated like VIP guests in the B-section police lock-up.

They demanded that the police high-ups should take notice and strict legal action against corrupt officials and provide them justice.