PPune: Residents and activists blamed the Chakan Municipal Council’s inaction against stray dogs despite repeated warnings for the death of a woman in the industrial town in the early hours of Monday.Residents claimed that the tragedy could have been prevented if the civic authorities had taken stronger measures after a suspected rabid dog bit several people earlier this year.TOI had published a report on the incident in its Jan 6, 2026 edition.“A suspected rabies-infected dog had bitten at least 33 people in the town on Jan 5. It was a serious warning for the authorities. If they had taken proper preventive measures then, this innocent woman would have been alive today,” said activist Mayur Mungse from Chakan.The stray dog attack on Shobha Waghmare, hailing from Deglur in Nanded district, around 2am on Monday on the service road of Pune–Nashik highway once again brought to the fore the poor stray dog management and garbage disposal in Chakan.“Who is responsible for the death of this woman? The municipal council officials cannot escape accountability. Residents are living in fear, while authorities continue to give excuses,” Mungse said.Another activist and lawyer, Mahesh Bhiware, said poor waste management across the town drew large numbers of stray dogs to Chakan. “Garbage heaps can be seen at almost every corner. These open dumping spots become feeding grounds for stray dogs. If the municipal council cannot ensure basic cleanliness, how can they expect to control the dog population?” Bhiware said.He said the problem turned severe during the weekly bazaar, when a large number of villagers from across Khed taluka visit Chakan to sell vegetables and other goods in the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) market. “Chakan is not just an industrial town, but also a traditional market hub. Thousands of people visit it every week. When stray dogs roam aggressively in such crowded areas, it becomes a serious public safety issue,” Bhiware said.Officials of the Chakan Municipal Council in their defence said they had intensified the stray dog vaccination drive after the Jan incident. Chief officer Ankush Jadhav said, “We have vaccinated around 600 stray dogs in last few weeks. The council also runs a shelter with a capacity to house about 100 dogs. We catch stray dogs, vaccinate them and release them after treatment.”.He blamed neighbouring gram panchayats for aggravating the problem by dumping garbage near the town’s boundaries. “Garbage from surrounding villages is often dumped along our borders. This attracts stray animals and creates a major challenge for us. We have been writing to those gram panchayats and urging them to cooperate so that the issue can be handled collectively,” Jadhav said.Chakan witnessed rapid population growth over the past decade because of industrial expansion. Activists said civic infrastructure had failed to keep pace with this growth.“Unless authorities start planning seriously now, such incidents (dog attacks) will only increase in the coming years,” said Chakan activist Mungse.
