ACCORDING to a news item, the Sindh High Court has directed the local government to finalise a proposed project to retain street/stray dogs and release them after sterilisation and vaccination (Dec 5).

This news simply makes the citizens think that, like street criminals, street dogs are also to remain there in our streets. In our country, especially in Sindh, where a good number of people remain deprived of basic necessities such as food, healthcare, education, public transportation, safety, sanitation etc., who will ensure that the municipal authorities and Sindh government will suddenly become efficient and catch, sterilise and vaccinate each and every street dog in the province?

What is the guarantee that even after being sterilised and vaccinated stray dogs will not attack people, especially our schoolgoing children?

While male residents in my area — Model Colony — were already under stress owing to frequent muggings, now our women and children are also literally incarcerated at homes because of omnipresent stray dogs.

Our schoolgoing children’s safety has become our greatest nightmare. The situation has worsened because the otherwise clean and open space of Model Colony railway station, right in the middle of densely populated area, has been turned into a massive garbage dumping site.

These huge piles of garbage are providing ideal breeding and feeding space to street dogs. The SHC is requested to also take notice of the factors that are causing an increase in stray dogs’ population in Sindh, especially in Karachi.

Raihan A. K. Lodhi
Karachi

Published in Dawn, December 15th, 2019