LUCKNOW Patients and attendants visiting one of Uttar Pradesh’s premier super-speciality hospitals, the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS), are navigating an unexpected and dangerous hazard: roaming packs of stray dogs. The problem persists despite repeated reports of dog bites and a Supreme Court directive prohibiting stray animals on hospital premises.
The department has released funds for the same and approved the designs sent by municipal corporations. The Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) was subsequently approached to catch stray dogs. However, the exercise reportedly ran into opposition from dog lovers residing within the campus. In an attempt to resolve the dispute, a committee involving dog lovers was constituted. The question now is whether the responsibility for animal welfare and the safety of patients can be balanced without allowing the hospital campus to become a permanent habitat for stray dogs. “Dog shelters will have to be made across the state. Any laxity will not be tolerated,” he added.
Urban development secretary Anuj Jha said municipal bodies would have to remove stray dogs from public places in accordance with the Supreme Court’s directions.
At SGPGIMS, the issue had earlier prompted the institute administration to constitute a committee after complaints about dog bites on the campus. When the LMC squad arrived to catch dogs, a group of residents protested before the institute director.
