Ishtiyaq Ahmad
Srinagar, Oct 22 (KINS): The fast growing population of stray dogs is taking a heavy toll on people of the summer capital Srinagar.
People believe here that street dog numbers continue to affect people in the majority of the areas of Srinagar city and this will be the trend if the authorities continue to do nothing.
The stray dog menace is more prevalent in city centre areas including Lal Chowk, Khayam, Khanyar, Munwarabad and Dalgate, Bemina, Batmalo, Qamarwari.
People blame the authorities for not taking appropriate steps to reduce the increasing dog population.
The cases reported with the Social and Preventive Medicine Department at the SMHS Hospital, the only tertiary care hospital in the Valley, have registered hundreds of dog bites during the recent years.
To control the canine population in the city, the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) has taken the process of sterilization, but people said that it was a long process and there should be some short-term plan by the SMC to stop the cases of dog bites.
“Sterilization is a long process. The government is not serious in solving this grave issue. Something needs to be done timely to check the menace,” Shabir Ahmad, a resident of Srinagar, told news agency KINS.
“Stray canines can be seen roaming on streets, chasing cars, pulling down bicycle riders and often attacking pedestrians and children,” said another local resident.
The situation is worse in the outskirts where the municipal corporation is not that active in checking the menace.
According to experts, the reason behind the ferocity of the dogs is the high-protein food which is available regularly because of the dietary habits of residents of Kashmir, where mutton and chicken are a staple diet.
“We fear that the dog population if kept unchecked could trigger fear psychosis among people. The dog issue needs to be dealt with seriously or else by four years dogs may outnumber Srinagarites and they will victimize every one of us,”
The SMC officials couldn’t be contacted for their comments. (KINS)
