Yapping well-nigh on every street of Srinagar, the canines pose a serious threat to the lives of local residents besides backing up traffic occasionally. The packs of dogs roaming on the thoroughfares and streets have created fear among the residents and pedestrians amidst a significant bump in the number of dog bite cases.
According to a report by SMHS Srinagar, over the past 5 years, nearly 30,000 people across Kashmir were bitten by the canines. The children and senior citizens fear to venture out of their homes as soon as darkness descends due to the fear of stray dogs. “The dogs have hampered the movement of our children in the evenings”, said Mohammed Ashraf, a resident of Shalimar area. He said that the dogs sitting on the streets sometimes spurred the long traffic snarls.
A few months ago, a 6-year-old boy died in Solina area of Srinagar after he was attacked by a stray dog. Such incident touched off protests many a time but little has been done. A group of incensed residents said that the Srinagar Muncipal Corporation’s (SMC) dog sterilization program had yet to take off.
“We have been requesting the authorities for over a year to pay attention to the scourge, but nothing has been done thus far. Our area is overrun with packs of dogs”, said a local shopkeeper in Natipoara.
He said that the muck thrown indiscriminately on the streets attract dogs, which is one of the key reasons of dogs entering the residential neighborhood.
“SMC has failed to check the menace”, he added.
He said that the local residents protested umpteen times against the menace but to no avail.
According to official reports, Srinagar reported 2800 number of dog bite cases in 2020, the highest in Kashmir.
This correspondent could not reach out to the SMC officials despite repeated attempts. The story will be updated once they respond.
