Srinagar: The dog population in Srinagar city continues to grow enormously as the Municipality watches like a mute spectator. A few years ago, the Srinagar Municipality decided to poison 3000 stray dogs to rid the historic city of the menace The . The war against the dogswas not launched. Gullible people were told that it had plans to kill 100000 stray dogs in the coming months. But dogscontinue to flourish and human beings continue to die a painful death due to dog bites.
As per official data the anti-rabies clinic at Srinagar's SMHS hospital registers 4000 cases of dog bites every year. Several deaths have been recorded. The victims include a 4-year old child of south Kashmir’s Kokernag area.
Over the past two decades, the animal rights activists have managed to prevent poisoning of stray dogs by Srinagar’s Municiapl Corporation. A scribe who agitated the matter repeatedly was shown letter of Maneka Gandhi who had threatened the corporation of dire consequences incase the dogs were poisoned.
A landmark judgement of the Mumbai high Court has encouraged the otherwise `impotent’ muncicipal authorities. The court has allowed killing of stray dogs if they pose threat to human life. And, according to insiders, poisonous drugs worth Rs 20 lakh were purchased from outside the state. But the war against stray dogs has been abandoned for unknown reasons. it is believed that the poison stored in SC stores has expired.
According to SMC officials there are more than two lakh stray dogs in the city of Srinagar alone. The Municipality, media reports suggest, needs 5000 dogs for scavenging. What will happen to the rest? The officials privately admit that castratating the dogs, as suggested by Maneka Gandhi, was a cumbersome process and the best option to have an optimal level of canine population is to go for the kill.
But disagreement of the scientists and veterinary doctors perhaps delayed the `noble job.’ Former Commissioner, Farooq Renzu called scientists and veterinary doctors to discuss ways to curb the menace. In the meeting, experts identified sterilization or Animal Birth Control (ABC) as the best method to contain the dog population. And to prevent the dog-bite victims from contracting rabies, the dogs, experts said, should be injected with the anti-rabies vaccine.