Many residents are worried about the increase in the stray dog population in Anna Nagar. Reports of motorists being chased and bitten by stray dogs have come from ‘F’, ‘J’, ‘K’, and ‘M’ blocks in Anna Nagar East. Some residents say they go out in groups or with a stick to prevent dogs from chasing and biting them.
“Last week, I was chased by a pack of stray dogs when I was returning home from the market. A few dogs tore my trousers before I managed to get into my house,” said S. Vimal Kumar, a resident of Anna Nagar.
The problem has increased in recent weeks as their population has increased on the street lanes and the arterial roads in the neighbourhood. Residents were promised that some action would be taken soon, including birth control measures. They believe that sterilisation might be a long-term measure. “ Some residents feed these stray dogs regularly. This makes the dogs stay permanently and encourages other dogs from neighbouring areas to come here. Not everybody is comfortable with that,” said K. Shanthi, a resident of Anna Nagar.
Motorists too hesitate to use the street lanes at night as they meet with unexpected surprises.
“To escape traffic congestion and the one-way traffic on the main roads, we use these street lanes. Stray dogs are aplenty in these lanes,” said H. Venket, a motorist from Padi.
Corporation officials said that stray dogs were mainly found near overflowing garbage bins on the streets in the neighbourhood.
Despite door-to-door collection of garbage by the civic agency, stray dogs still remain in the neighbourhood
“We would take steps to sterilise them ,” said a Corporation official.
