Rivalry between sister cities takes an interesting turn, with TMC writing to BMC, demanding an explanation on why dogs with BMC's sterilisation mark are being found on the loose within Thane city limits
Miyesh Mane, 8, a dog-bite victim
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Thane and Mumbai authorities have been known to fight like cats and dogs over petty issues in the past, but this is a whole different beast. The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has written to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to complain about the migration of street dogs from Mumbai to Thane. Its claim is that these dogs sport a larger V-shaped cut on the ears, used by BMC to identify strays. Thane officials make a 'V' cut as well but, they said, their marks are smaller.
Dogged by incidents of attacks by stray dogs, TMC wrote to the BMC (mid-day accessed the letter): 'BMC street dogs have been found in Thane territory. The dogs are aggressive, so the issue needs to be addressed.'
While BMC makes bigger notches
The Thane officials also asked Mumbai authorities to figure out how the dogs had managed to get there. Just yesterday, a single stray bit four people in a span of 10 minutes in Thane. The dog was impounded by the TMC. Shama Nare, veterinarian, TMC health department, said, "We caught the dog in the afternoon and he is no more now. We had sent the letter to BMC a few days ago."
The injured include Constable Jaya Mhaskar, 53; Miyesh Mane, 8; another child Rohit Pawar, 1; and Constable Payal Walmiki, 20. Vidya Chapalgaonkar, the chief medical officer at Thane civil hospital, said, "We will observe Mane and Mhaskar for at least two days. After providing first aid, Walmiki and Pawar were shifted to Kalwa civil hospital." The dog from yesterday's incident was from Thane, but TMC officials insist that many dogs displaying aggressive behaviour had migrated there from Mumbai.
TMC makes smaller incisions on the ear
'These are BMC dogs'
Sandeep Malvi, deputy commissioner and public relations officer of TMC, said, "We found some stray dogs from BMC, so we requested them to take care of it." An official from TMC's health department said, "There are around 80,000 street dogs in Thane district. Two or three months ago, we spotted some aggressive dogs and found their V mark was different ."
According to TMC officials, their incisions
"We also make a V-shaped notch in dogs' ears, but this mark was much bigger. We found out that this kind of mark is made in BMC's jurisdiction; our incisions are much smaller. We immediately wrote to BMC officials, asking why their dogs were found in our area. We questioned whether BMC staffers are dropping the dogs off in Thane after sterilisation."
Are considerably smaller and of a different shape than BMC's
'Impossible to gauge'
On the other hand, a BMC health department official said, "It is not possible to identify which territory the dogs are from. We have not received any letter, therefore we can't comment on it." Abodh Aras, CEO of Welfare of Stray Dogs (WSD), echoed similar doubts: "It is a global practice to make notches on strays' ears after sterilising them. I am not sure how it is possible to differentiate between the marks."
Jaya Mhaskar
Another activist Subodh Burman said, "It is possible to identify dogs from different territories, because of different marking styles. Some clip the ear, while some write behind the ear."
However, in this case, both civic bodies make incisions. Burman added, "Any dog that crosses to another territory can't survive, because other dogs will attack. So, TMC's claims are dubious."
Also Read: Mumbai: BMC records a 20 per cent rise in dog bite cases
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