Nagpur: Maharashtra is grappling with a massive public health and civic challenge, with over 30 lakh dog-bite cases reported in just six years and 30 deaths due to rabies between 2021 and 2023, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde informed the Assembly on Wednesday.
Responding to concerns raised by MLAs across party lines, Shinde acknowledged that the stray dog population has surged sharply in both urban and rural pockets, particularly in cities like Nagpur, Mumbai, Pune, and Kalyan-Dombivli, intensifying fears of rabies and rising bite incidents.
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Shinde’s written reply highlighted the scale of the issue: “More than 30 lakh dog-bite cases have been recorded in six years, and 30 people have died of rabies in the last three years,” he stated. He added that the State Government has instructed all municipal corporations and local bodies to speed up Animal Birth Control (ABC) and anti-rabies vaccination drives, in line with the Supreme Court’s directives issued in August.
According to Shinde, the Urban Development Department issued orders to civic bodies on November 14, while similar directions went out to rural local bodies on November 27. The government is also enforcing the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, across Maharashtra following orders issued in March.
When asked about compensation for families of those who died from rabies and the persistent delays in controlling the stray dog population, Shinde said the matter currently “does not arise.”
The issue was flagged by Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Sunil Prabhu, who stressed the urgent need to tackle the exploding stray dog population and rising bite cases in Maharashtra’s major cities.
