Canine Terror Looms Large In City As SMC Sits On Menace

Srinagar- Amid rise in stray dog population and canine bite cases in the summer capital, Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) is only able to carry out sterilisation of just 10 to 15 dogs per day.

The 10 to 15 dogs sterilisation per day is as per official figures which residents in Srinagar believe can be much lower otherwise.

A delegation from different areas of Srinagar city said that the dog population has increased tremendously in the areas including Habba kadal, Fathe kadal, Baba demb, khanyar, jamalatta and Rahbab Sahab areas.

The locals alleged that Srinagar Municipal Corporation instead of relieving them from dog menace have been releasing trapped dogs in vehicles during night hours.

“This is a major problem for all of us. Stray dogs bite people, chase them when they go to prayers early in the morning, and scare away children,” said a local.

Mohammad Iqbal, a local resident of Khanyar Gousia hospital, said that not only locals but also attendants are facing the problems from the last couple of months.

“Due to the presence of dustbins and garbage outside the hospital, there is always a risk of becoming the target of the dogs. The dog fear has become a problem for everyone in the area,” he said.

Another resident, Gousia Nabi from Habba kadal area said children are unable to go outside alone as they easily become prey of stray dogs.

She said due to absence of waste management has led to the growing population of dogs in the area. “Even sweepers do not clean the roads, lanes regularly and heaps of garbage have become a source of food for the dogs,” Gousia added.

Earlier this year, the SMC officials have been saying that they will set up three new sterilisation centres for the canine population. As per the officials the infrastructure that is available for sterilisation is at minimum capacity.

“The SMC’s lone centre at Shuhama is able to carry out sterilisation of around 15 dogs per day which is negligible as compared to the population of dogs in Srinagar,” an official of SMC admitted.

As per a report by the department of Community Medicines, Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar, around 58,869 persons were bitten by the dogs in the last ten years in Kashmir.

In the last five years, 30,000 dog bite cases have been reported in Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital (SMHS) alone. While topping the list in 2020 more than 2,800 cases of dog bites were reported in Srinagar only.xxxx

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