Newindperss

Bangalore, Jun 9: Notwithstanding the BBMP’s well-publicised dog control exercise, one more city boy fell prey to stray dogs’ ferocity on Friday.

Ajay (4), son of a labourer, Manjunath, resident of 5th Main, Kamalangar, died of dog bite he received four days ago.

A release from the BBMP said the boy was undergoing antirabbies treatment at the Epidemic Diseases Hospital (EDH) on Old Madras Road. Palike said Ajay died at 6 am on Friday.

Even as the BBMP announced a compensation of Rs 15,000 to Ajay’s parents, it maintained that the stray dog control programme was satisfactory and that ‘all stray dogs’ have been inoculated anti-rabies vaccines.

But how come the boy contacted rabies? Palike commissioner K Jairaj had no convincing explanations when this this website’s newspaper contacted him. He said that EDH doctors had confirmed rabies as cause of death and Palike had ordered intensive drive to capture all stray dogs in the west zone of Palike.

Dr M K Sudarshan, an expert on rabies and stray dog control in Bangalore, says the Palike’s claim of having eradicated rabies was based on defective reports.

‘‘Official reports say there were no human rabies cases in last two years but that is because such cases are nor officially reported. There were many cases of human rabies and they are never reported,’’ he said.

In his report to the government on stray dog control programme, Dr Sudarshan has said that Rs 6.4 crore was spent by Palike on the programme and only 20-26 per cent Bangaloreans saw an improvement in curbing dog menace.