Visakhapatnam: A 10-year-old girl died after being attacked by a pack of stray dogs while she was on her way to the fields with a flask of tea for her father D. Bodesh, in Srikakulam district on Thursday.
The dogs bit the girl with such severity that a nerve on her neck was damaged causing instantaneous death. The victim was identified as D. Spandana, a Class V student. The incident occurred around 7.30 am on the outskirts of Dallipeta under Ponduru police station limits.
Police said the dogs attacked the girl outside the village. The scene indicated that Spandana tried to resist before collapsing from the attack. No one else was at the spot at the time of the incident. Locals rushed her to the hospital, where the doctors declared her dead.
TD legislator and government Whip Kuna Ravikumar and few others visited the family members of Spandana to console them.
Sources said that this was the second instance of attack by stray dogs in the region. Four days ago, five-year-old Y. Yeshwanth Kumar of Mogalipadu in Palasa municipality was attacked by a dog while playing in front of his house.
He was seriously injured and had to be taken to Srikakulam hospital after first aid at a local clinic.
Officials blamed for dog menace
The dangers from stray dogs is not only troubling residents of Vizag city but also people in the rural areas of the city, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts. Citizens say that officials of the local bodies have been ignoring the danger in their areas for a while now.
The death of 10-year-old D. Spandana, a Class V student, who was killed by a pack of stray dogs on the outskirts of Dallipeta under the Ponduru police station limits in Srikakulam district on Thursday morning, has once again highlighted the apathy of government agencies, which have been unable to control population of strays.
Expressing anguish over the incident, locals of Dallipeta said that mostly children and the elderly have been the victims of the stray dogs attacks. Locals also alleged that despite repeated requests, the panchayat officials have remained inactive over the matter and have been citing silly excuses for not sterilising the dogs.
Sources said that normally, the Village Revenue Officers take a census of stray dog population and monitor the process of sterilisation to control the canine population. However, practically all VROs and staff of the panchayat have been ignoring the issue in rural areas.
Vizag, the biggest city in the state, has been grappling with the stray dog menace with animal bite cases being reported round the year due to the apathy of GVMC.
“How can we expect the panchayat officials to check the menace in rural areas?” asked N. Tilak Kumar, a resident of MVP Colony in Vizag.
Citizens also blame the lackadaisical attitude of officials from the GVMC, municipalities and panchayats in the region for the growing menace.
It has become difficult to venture outside with strays roaming freely on the streets of Vizag city round-the-clock, locals added.
