Srinagar: Despite lofty claims of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) to control the canine population in Srinagar and people in various are facing difficulty to venture out of their homes.
The inhabitants of Karanagar complained that the canine population in the area had increased enormously due to which locals face difficulty to go outside their homes.
Mohammad Iqbal Sofi, a local resident outside SMHS Hospital told JKNS that not only locals but also attendants are facing the problems from last couple of months.
“Due to presence of dustbins and garbage outside the hospital, there is always risk of becoming the target of the dogs. The dog fear has become problem for everyone in the area,” he said.
Another resident, Insha Nabi from Babadam 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 had become source of food for the dogs,” Insha added.
The inhabitants of Aalikadal, Rajorikadal, Jamal-hatta and Bemina also complained about the growing dog menace and urged government to control the menace in the city.
Mohammad Shafi Dar, a local from Rajorikadal said sterilization process which has been started by the SMC will take decades to complete.
“The corporation is not serious about the sterilization process and there should be a short-term plan of SMC to curb the dog menace in city,” he said.
Dar said every year thousands of people become the victims of dog bites in the city. “Each month 9-10 cases are being reported in the area,” he said.
However, a senior official at SMC said there are around 40,000 to 41,000 dogs in city and sterilization process will take many years to complete.
Earlier, J&K High Court had directed the SMC to submit its report with regard to dog sterilization process in Srinagar. SMC would also take help from Animal Welfare Board for providing expertise for catching the dogs so that they are sterilized and immunized, reads the order.
An official at SMC said they have signed a memorandum of understanding on sterilization of dogs with Sheri-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences Kashmir (SKUAST) for resuming dog sterilization program in the city.
The official said measures have been taken to control canine menace in city and census had being carried out in all 74 administrative wards of the municipality.
It is pertinent mention that in 2017 more than 5000 dog bite cases were reported at Anti-Rabies Clinic (ARC) of SMHS Hospital Srinagar. (JKNS)
