SMC sits on stray dog menace | No headway on new sterilisation projects

Srinagar, Jan 11: Failure of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) to check growing stray dog menace in the summer capital is taking a heavy toll on people.

The much-hyped project to establish multiple dog sterilisation centers is going on at a snail’s pace. Another dog sterilisation facility at Tengpora is yet to be completed despite passing of several years.

SMC has currently only one dog sterilisation center function at Shuhama with a capacity of 10-15 surgeries per day.

The officials said that with the addition of three more centers, they will be able to carry out 240 sterilisations per day.

Residents of several areas of Srinagar said growing population of dogs is posing risk to their lives.

‘It is difficult for people to venture out during evening hours due to presence of large number of stray dogs. The problem of stray is severe in Downtown areas. We urge SMC authorities to take immediate measures for checking stray dog menace,” said

Nazir Ahmad Shah, chairman of Shaher-e-Khaas Traders Coordination.

“On the serious note, large number of dogs can easily kill. Avoid walking through Jawahar Nagar, LD Road – especially after 7 pm particularly kids should avoid walking or cycling after 6 pm. I am sure, same is true with other areas as well,” tweeted Dr Tariq Tramboo a netizen while attaching a picture of an overwhelming number of dogs roaming on roads.

Locals in Srinagar say that packs of dogs roaming outside had made it impossible to move out of their. “Children and elderly are at risk. The administration is taking the issue lightly. Residential areas, hospitals, markets are full of dogs,” said Mohammad Maqbool, a resident of Soura.

SMC veterinary officer, Dr Tawheed Ahmed said that to add more sterilisation center, tenders have already been floated. He said that the authorities understand the issue and these centers will be completed without any delay.

“We had a meeting related to the progress of the project and at Shuhama we are going to start work soon. The Tengpora facility is getting finishing touches. By the end of the project, we will have three more dog sterilization centers. After some months, we will have this project working in full capacity and Srinagar will have respite from stray dogs,” Ahmed said.