No end to stray dog menace in Srinagar
Srinagar, Jun 15: The enigmatic Srinagar city that proudly wears the "Smart City" tag, is a disappointment in implementing Animal Birth Control Rules. The City’s apathy toward its burgeoning stray dog population and lack of animal welfare measures has left citizens frustrated, vulnerable, and questioning the administration’s priorities.
The Animal Birth Control (ABC) program that is meant to control the population of stray dogs has been stalled nine months ago. The sterilsation process is stalled in winters, the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) authorities stating that colder months are not feasible for the process. However, even while the winters passed, the program was not restarted as the contract of the Agency that carried out sterilisations in Srinagar had expired. The Srinagar Municipal Corporation floated tenders for selecting a new agency many times in the past but no progress was made for months. As a result, the ABC program is defunct, putting a question mark over the seriousness of Smart City authorities towards the issue of the massive dog population.
In 2024, 6207 dogs were sterilized and vaccinated in Srinagar, according to official figures. In 2023, this number was 5087. In 2025, not a single dog has been sterilised yet.
In order to expedite and expand sterilization, a new facility with 60 kennels has been set-up at Chatterhama in Srinagar suburbs. The facility was expected to facilitate upto 50 sterilizations per day, a major and much needed fillip to the ABC program. However, in the absence of an agency till date, this facility is just an unused structure. Previously, the sterisations were carried out at the space constrained facility in Tengpora. The SMC had announced it will carry out 20,000 sterilizations in 2025-26.
Many people, in the absence of witnessing any measures to control the population express their frustration. “Hundreds of dogs are seen in some localities. The very sight of them sends shivers through many of us. We’re scared for our children. They cannot play outside and we are afraid of venturing out late night or early morning,” Mohsina Khan, a resident of Jawahar Nagar said.
On the other hand, the injured and sick animals suffer on the streets, exposing a glaring violation of laws meant to protect both humans and animals. The SMC does not have a shelter for treating sick and injured animals, creating a cruel and inhuman set-up. Animal Welfare organizations have expressed concern over the inadvertent delay in creating a facility for the treatment and shelter of stray animals in need. “Laws are clear: J&K needs to ensure animal welfare. But authorities seem to turn a blind eye towards this resistibility of theirs,” said a volunteer working with an animal welfare NGO.
The ABC Rules (2023) mandate that states and union territories to ensure sterilizing and vaccinating stray dogs for controlling their population and reduce the instances of human-animal conflict, in addition to ensuring animal welfare. The ABC program emanated from the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960, its core strategy being Catch-Sterilize-Vaccinate-Release. However, in Srinagar, the approach is not humane towards humans or animals, but rather a stark violation of the concept of One Health.
Until then, Srinagar’s streets remain a stark reminder that beneath the glossy Smart City veneer lies a city that cares for neither humans nor animals.
