PUNE: Several residents of Kharadi are extremely concerned with the increased number of stray dogs in the area. They also claim at least one person has died due to rabies . Meanwhile, residents’ attempts to raise the issue with the ward office have fallen on deaf ears.Residents near the Forest County, Gulmohar Orchids Rakshak Nagar Gold , Mountain and Glory are finding it difficult to move around on the roads, especially during the early morning and late night hours.Local resident Rishita Swamy said, “Our office pick up is at the Forest County gate but, when I reach there in the morning, it’s difficult to wait for too long as the dogs start chasing people.”Residents claim even milkmen and newspaper vendors visiting the societies have had close encounters with the stays on numerous occasions.The Kharadi Housing Societies Welfare Association (KHSWA) has complained to the ward office twice over three months but, they claim, no action has been taken as yet. Chairman of KHSWA Deepak Patil said, “The strays furiously chase two-wheeler and cycle riders. The problem has increased and worsened in the last three months. We immediately brought it to the notice of the civic officials. However, we have not seen any action taken despite two complaints.”Kharadi resident Shatadru took to Twitter and posted the following message using KHSWA’s handle: “Stray dog menace in Kharadi area. Bunch of stray dogs attacking people in the early morning & late nights. Risk for school going children, morning walkers, office goers, delivery boys, maids and for anyone walking on the road.”The residents association’s Twitter account has been flooded with complaints regarding the stray dogs since many days.When contacted, a senior official of Pune Municipal Corporation’s health department said, “We will send our team of experts to tackle the issue in the Kharadi area. The stray dogs will also be sterilized and action will definitely be taken in the next couple of days.”

Stay updated with all the Pune Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.