Following schools, stray dog rules tightened for colleges & universities

Raipur: After tightening norms in school campuses, putting school staff, students and even principals at the forefront of efforts to keep away stray dogs, Chhattisgarh government has now moved to enforce strict monitoring of strays in colleges and universities across the state, making each institution directly responsible for prevention, control and reporting of animal-related incidents on campus. Acting on directions of the Supreme Court in response to a suo motu writ petition (Civil) No. 05/2025, the Directorate of Higher Education has issued a detailed 13-point guideline to all government and private colleges as well as state and private universities. Under the new order, control, surveillance and prevention of incidents involving stray dogs inside higher education campuses will be the explicit responsibility of each institution. For this, professors or assistant professors will be appointed as nodal officers in every college and university. The guidelines make the appointment of a nodal officer mandatory in every institution. These faculty members will maintain continuous coordination with the local administration, municipal corporation, municipal councils or nagar panchayats, and immediately contact the civic or administrative body concerned if stray dogs or other animals are spotted inside the campus. At the state level, the higher education department has appointed T Jalaja Nair as the primary nodal officer. All institutional nodal officers will report to her and send periodic updates. Further, as per the order, institutions have also been instructed to display on campus the name of the nodal officers concerned, their mobile numbers and relevant helpline information. A photograph of the display board has to be sent by the nodal officer to the Directorate of Higher Education on WhatsApp, using the number circulated in the order. Officials said this will help verify whether the instructions are actually being implemented on the ground. No open food, constant watch, and first-aid kits are a must, the guideline states, directing professors and assistant professors to ensure that no food waste or edible material is left lying in the open within campus, as it attracts stray animals. Regular monitoring will be required to restrict and control the entry of stray or pet animals inside institutional premises.It states every college and university must keep the campus clean and litter-free, install and maintain a first-aid box, conduct awareness programmes for students and staff on how to avoid dog attacks and what to do in emergencies. The Higher Education department has also placed equal emphasis on physical security, directing campuses to strengthen and secure their boundary walls so that stray animals don't have easy access to campuses. In addition, colleges and universities have been advised to widely publicise the state helpline 1100 as a contact point for assistance in the event of an emergency.