No end to stray dog menace in Srinagar
Srinagar, Feb 5: In 2025, only 935 dogs have been sterilised in Srinagar, a district that officially had nearly 65,000 dogs three years ago, a population estimated to have grown significantly since then.
Over the past two years, over 2 lakh dog bite cases have been reported across J&K, the Government said today in the Assembly.
The details were furnished as a reply to a question table by MLA Mubarak Gul. The Government has not revealed the number of dogs in Jammu Municipal Corporation. However, it said that the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) has conducted a scientific population survey in 2023.
“The survey estimated approximately 64,416 stray dogs within its limits,” reads the reply to the question seeking clarification on whether the dog population has increased across J&K.
The reply states that in 2024 and 2025, over 2 lakh (206,460) dog bite cases have been recorded across J&K. Jammu division is more affected by the dog bite cases and has 1.26 lakh bite cases, while Kashmir division has over 79,000 cases. Jammu district has recorded 76,824 cases, nearly the same as entire Kashmir division. Srinagar district has recorded 35,174 bite cases.
The Government has said that it was humanely managing the dog population in strict compliance with the law, specifically the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, and the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023. The SMC has outsourced ABC-ARV (Animal Birth Control and Anti-Rabies Vaccination) programme. Detailing the performance, it said, the SMC has sterilized 15,266 dogs since 2018. However, a deeper look into data shows that major sterilization work was carried out in 2023 (6964 sterilsations) and in 2024 (7546 sterilsations). In 2025, August-September, 935 sterilisations have been carried out.
No numbers for sterilsations carried out in JMC have been provided. These corporations are also actively engaged in vaccinating the dogs, the Government has said. While 15725 Anti-Rabies Vaccines (ARV) have been given to dogs in Srinagar Municipality, no numbers have been provided for Jammu Municipality.
The Government has said that the existing efforts are challenged by the high fertility rate of dogs. “SMC Is augmenting its capacity by establishing a third ABC-ARV centre at Ahal Chatterhama, which is expected to Increase sterilisation and immunisation capacity,” it has said. It added that adherence to all legal frameworks and recent directives from the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India to address the street dog overpopulation was being ensured in the programs and activities to manage dog population. It has been reiterated that the only legal intervention permitted by SC is “sterilisation, vaccination, and release back to their original habitat”.
The Government has said that the Deputy Commissioners have been directed to identify and allot suitable land for serving as ABC centers. Places have been identified for three cluster centres at Baramulla, Kulgam, and Sumbal. “The ULBs have been directed to locate any abandoned buildings within their districts in consultation with the District Administration to serve as ABC centres,” it said.
