Despite Srinagar city getting a makeover by walking towards becoming smart city, the alarming rise in the number of stray dogs in several areas of Srinagar City has become a major cause of distress for local residents

The presence of dogs everywhere is making the lives of people miserable.

People almost in entire city including Nowgam, Bhatshanagar, Chanapora, Natipora, and several other localities are complaining of issue of dog menace.

The residents of these areas said there has been a sharp increase in the canine population, which poses a grave threat to their lives, especially children, the elderly and women.

Residents say they are not able to go about their daily chores and at times have to change either their route or their plans because of strays.

“I used to go to the masjid at dawn to offer prayers, but the presence of dogs has forced me to change my plan. I now offer my prayers at home. I don’t feel satisfied about having to do this. The administration seems least bothered about the issue,” says Abdul Rehman, a resident of Soura.

According to official data of the 2011 Census, Srinagar had a dog population of 60,000. But current unofficial figures point to the population of dogs being more than 90,000.

Over the years the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) has failed to stem the dog crisis. The municipal corporation has not been able to sterilize the required number of dogs to keep the population of canines in check. City residents as well as those living on the outskirts are left to cope with the problem.

People living on the outskirts of Srinagar have a different story to tell. They say that officials of the SMC ferry the dogs from the posh areas of the city in the municipal corporation trucks and then deposit them in their areas. These people say that it is due to this reason that dog attacks have increased in areas falling outside the municipal limits of Srinagar.

In the past decade or so there has been an increase in dog attacks not only in Srinagar, but in other parts of the Kashmir Valley as well. There are regular media reports of dog attacks on people in some locality or the other. Children are the worst sufferers in this regard.

There are people who believe that the dog population has increased in areas where there are camps of security forces personnel. They say that the left-over food from these camps is given to stray dogs.

But SMC officials at the lower rungs of the administration seem helpless. They say such decisions have to be taken by higher officials in the municipal corporation. Some old hands say that in the past dogs used to be poisoned.

“Since we cannot poison the canines now, the only option is sterilization. If we are able to control the population of dogs, half the battle is won but for that we need strong resolve from the civic body. Once the population is controlled there would be fewer attacks on people and everyone will heave a sigh of relief,” said Naseem Ahmed, a safai karamchari of SMC.