Alumni association of a prominent college in Kottayam comes up with new incentive

The alumni association of a prominent college has announced it would give gold coins to the civic authorities which killed the maximum number of stray dogs till December 10 in Kerala, where four persons have lost their lives and over 700 have been injured in canine attacks in the last four months.

Office-bearers of the Old Students Welfare Association of the Pala-based (Kottayam) St. Thomas College said the “gift” would be given to the heads of panchayats and municipalities across the State where most stray dogs were killed.

The outfit had hit the headlines recently for providing air guns at subsidised rates to deal with violent dogs.

Earlier, cash incentives were also offered by a State-based industrialist for culling dogs.

“We are planning to give the gift to panchayat presidents and municipality chairmen in the State who lead in killing the maximum number of stray dogs,” James Pambaykkal, Association general secretary, said. Accusing the government of inactivity on the stray dog issue, he said the association was attempting to end the menace with the participation of people.

The gold coins would be bought with contributions from the representatives of the 1,200 member-association, he said.

The weight of the coins would be decided according to the total amount collected, James, a physics post-graduate who passed out from the college in 1984, said. He said the civic authorities, who apply for the gold coins, should submit day-to-day figures of the culled dogs.

The stray dog issue in the State came into the limelight again after a 90-year-old, Raghavan, was mauled to death by a pack of street dogs at Varkala on October 26.

As per government figures, 701 people, including 175 children, were injured in stray dog attacks in the last four months across the State.

This year, 53,000 people took treatment for dog bites in government medical college hospitals alone.