Residents ask Sankari Municipality to control stray dog populaition

A stray dog on a street in Sankari municipality in Salem district on Sunday. | Photo Credit: E. LAKSHMI NARAYANAN Residents of Sankari municipality in Salem district have urged the municipal administration to control stray dog population.Residents, especially from Travellers Bungalow Road, Old Bus Stand, Bhavani-Sankari Fort Road, Santhaipettai, and New Edappadi Road, say they are facing a stray dog menace.S. Thangavel, an advocate, alleged that the dogs are feeding on waste dumped on roadsides by shops and eateries. Six months ago, a stray dog bit 12 people on Travellers Bungalow Road.Recently, stray dogs entered the quarters of judges working in the Sankari Combined Court after the compound wall collapsed in rain, Mr. Thangavel added.Sarathy, another resident, said the municipality performed sterilisation surgeries at the Animal Birth Control (ABC) centre in Veerapandi. However, if an ABC centre is built on the premises of the office of the Assistant Director for the Animal Husbandry Department in Sankari, it will further help control the stray dog menace in the municipality.The municipality also should instruct roadside shops, especially meat shops and chili chicken shops, to not dump waste on roadsides or feed meat waste to stray dogs, he added.When contacted, Municipal Commissioner (in-charge) K.L. Suveetha Shri said that 350 stray dogs have been identified in Sankari municipal limits and that all dogs have been vaccinated three months ago.A target has been fixed to sterilise 40 stray dogs every month, and a location has been identified on Sankari Material Recovery Facility premises to construct an ABC centre, the Municipal Commissioner added.Located 35 km away from Salem Town, Sankari municipality has 18 wards. Known for its lorry workshops and body building units, it was upgraded to a municipality from town panchayat in March 2025. Published - October 11, 2026 06:33 pm IST