BENGALURU: The Urban Development Department (UDD) has issued a directive mandating all Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to establish committees in order to review dog-bite cases and award compensation to people who have been a victim of their bites.

Under this order, which was issued on Monday, the government has set the compensation amount at Rs 5,000 for a dog-bite victim and Rs 5 lakh in the unfortunate event of a fatality resulting from a dog bite within the jurisdiction of any ULB.

The order outlines that the committee will be headed by the commissioner or the chief officer of the relevant ULB, with the taluk health officer and the assistant director of the jurisdictional taluk animal husbandry and veterinary services department serving as members. The health officer of the ULB will act as the member secretary.

According to the order, designated officials should conduct site visits where dog-bite incidents have been reported, and health supervisors are expected to submit their findings to the respective committees within 48 hours of the occurrence. Subsequently, the committees are required to convene a meeting within 48 hours to facilitate the release of compensation.

These committees will also be responsible for verifying hospital bills and assessing photographs of dog bites before approving compensation. In the case of a fatality, compensation must be disbursed to the family of the dog-bite victim within a day. ULBs will cover the costs of compensation and medical expenses from their own resources.

The UDD has noted that only BBMP established such a committee back in 2015 and provided compensation to dog-bite victims. Drawing from the BBMP model, the department has decided to implement a similar approach for all ULBs.

BBMP has been offering compensation and covering medical expenses for dog-bite victims since 2015, disbursing a total of Rs 27.7 lakh to 34 victims as of May this year. Karnataka houses 10 mahanagara palikes, 10 city municipal corporations, 117 town municipal corporations, and 91 town panchayats.

Officials emphasize that dogs typically resort to aggression when they feel threatened and advise that people avoid making threatening gestures towards them. Additionally, during the breeding season, it’s advisable to keep a safe distance from dogs. Only rabid dogs attack without provocation, and the telltale signs include a blank expression, dropped jaw, hanging tongue, excessive salivation, and a lowered tail.

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