Though residents across the state are reeling under the stray dog menace, the Punjab government has managed to get rid of over four lakh stray dogs in the last three years, at least on paper.The state government’s affidavit in the Punjab and Haryana high court stating that Punjab has only 59,806 stray dogs has left many animal rights activists shocked. As per the 19th livestock census held by the Centre in 2012, the stray dog population in Punjab was 4, 70,558 stray dogs. How the state government managed to ‘eliminate’ over four lakh stray dogs in three years and that too in the absence of any visible effective measures remains a mystery, claim activists.The government affidavit submitted to the high court last month claimed that of the 59, 806 stray dogs across the state, as many as 42,341 were in municipal corporations and 17,465 in other areas. The affidavit also provided a district-wise break-up of the dog population.