Kollam: The Kerala government has announced that it will pay Rs 15.68 lakh in compensation to victims of stray dog attacks.

This decision follows the recommendations of the 42nd report by the Justice Siri Jagan Committee, which was established to address complaints regarding such incidents.

The compensation will be provided by the local self-government (LSG) bodies responsible for the areas where the stray dog attacks occurred. Payments will be made to those who submitted applications between 2016 and 2019.

In 2018, the Supreme Court appointed the Justice Siri Jagan Committee to regulate the compensation to be paid to victims of stray dog attacks. The court also noted that if the compensation is not paid properly, the responsible authorities could face contempt of court charges and other penalties. The authorities are obliged to pay nine per cent interest from the date of the application for compensation until the actual payment is made.

Currently, 34 people are eligible for the compensation, with most applications dating back to 2016 and 2017.

The government has instructed that the money should be paid to the respective individuals within 15 days of the order being received, and a report must be submitted.

An applicant from Keezhallur Grama Panchayat is to be given Rs 1,13,430, while others will receive amounts less than Rs 1 lakh.

The committee has already received around 8,000 applications from victims of stray dog attacks. The compensation is planned to be given in phases after hearing from the concerned local government bodies.