Around 40,000 dogs have been sterilised in Noida since 2017, an official said on Tuesday, as debate intensified over checking the canine menance after an infant was mauled to death by a stray.

While no official census was available for the count of dogs, the Noida Authority officials estimated their numbers to be around 60,000.

Residents believe efforts to check random feedings points for strays can also help prevent incidents of dog bites while the officials are focussing on sterilisation.

Amid rising cases of human-dog conflicts, the Noida Authority had in September announced setting up four shelter homes for strays.

"Amid rising cases of dog bites, instructions have been issued to set up shelter homes for stray dogs in collaboration with RWAs around various sectors. Instructions have been issued for feeding of stray dogs in consultation with RWAs," the authority had said in a statement on September 23.

According to officials, the shelter homes are under preparation and should be ready within a month.

"Around 40,000 dogs have been sterilised since 2017. There is no official census but Noida is estimated to have around 60,000 stray dogs," a Noida Authority official said.

Noida Federation of Apartment Owners Associations (NOFAA) president Rajiva Singh said Noida Authority had some time back agreed that there would be stray feeding points outside societies.

"These feeding points were supposed to be created jointly along with apartment owner's association/RWAs in isolated points where there is less frequent human movement, away from children playing areas and also away from routine morning- evening walkers routes. Same was to be carried out in coordination with AOAs and RWAs across all sectors," Singh told PTI.

However, Singh said not much work has been carried out.

"Also other primary issue is because of residents setting up feeding points inside societies itself. This creates inconvenience for residents on multiple fronts," the NOFAA president noted.

Lack of stray dog shelters in sectors and slow pace of sterilization are the other two reasons for increase in such unfortunate incidents, he said.

Corrective measures are needed immediately. It could be much needed reforms in the existing laws so that a healthy coexistence among humans and canines can take place, he added.

The District Development Residents Welfare Association Federation said incidents of dog attacks on a daily basis have created "a state of terror" in the minds of residents.

In a letter to the district administration Tuesday, the Federation said it acknowledged that dogs and residents should coexist but it is absolutely necessary to prevent such incidents as it urged for proactive steps to check the menace.

"Pet dogs are not being registered by the residents of district Gautam Budh Nagar. You are requested to kindly take strict action against the residents who have pet dogs, if they do not register them," it stated.

"Like the adjoining district Ghaziabad, in our district too, there should be a ban on certain breeds and breeds of dogs of aggressive nature to reduce the incidence of dog bites," it stated.

Federation's senior vice president Sanjeev Kumar suggested that big shelter homes/compounds should be built for stray dogs.

"Any dog ??that attacks the residents without reason or starts biting, such dogs should be sent to the shelter home or euthanized immediately," Kumar said.

"The responsibility needs to be fixed for every incident, like for pet dogs the responsibility should be of owners and they should be penalized and action needs to be taken against persons walking the dogs without leash and muzzle," he added.

A seven-month-old child was mauled to death by a dog inside a posh gated group housing society in Noida on Monday, according to police officials.

The child belonged to daily wage earners who were engaged for a construction work within the Lotus Boulevard society in Sector 100, the officials added.