SYED IMRAN ALI HAMDANI
Srinagar, Aug 17: High Court Wednesday directed Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) to get dog pond constructed at Khimber in Ganderbal district within two weeks. The stray dogs prowling in the City are to be confined and sterilized there.
 During a supplementary hearing of the PIL on dog menace, the High Court’s division bench comprising Chief Justice Ibraheem Kalifullah and Justice MH Attar rejected the SMC plea that Khimber site was “not accessible”.
 The High Court also took a serious note of the recent threat call by Batamaloo residents that they would kill stray dogs if the SMC fails to act.
 “If you (administration) don’t act in time people will stone these dogs to death and that will be an inhumane act,” the Court observed.

THE BATAMALOO THREAT
 The Division bench reacted to the Batamaloo threat issue when Advocate Nadeem Qadri who had filed the PIL referred to a Greater Kashmir news report.
 “The Chief Justice said he has gone through the report adding that the SMC should act fast,” Qadri said.
 Pertinently, following a recent spell of dog bite cases in the area, Batamaloo residents had threatened to kill the stray packs even as they gave SMC a four week ultimatum to act.

SPCA PLEADS
 Prominent lawyer Mir Syed Lateef who is pleading the case on behalf on Society for Prevention of Cruelty Against Animals (SPCA) prayed before the Court that his client be given the work of monitoring of “rehabilitation of dogs at the ponds as has been observed by   Court in its first orders.”

STORY TILL NOW
 On August 12, the High Court pulled up administration for failing to put a check on the dog menace and directed it to come up with dog ponds within two weeks while the state counsel had sought time for filing of affidavit.
 The division bench had observed that the sterilization of stray dogs wasn’t the priority but confining them to ponds had to be laid emphasis on.
 “They (officials) have done nothing. They are not bothered about the plight of people because they themselves travel by air-conditioned cars … They (officials) cannot understand the problem faced by people,” Chief Justice had observed.

THE MENACE
 The summer capital with over one lakh dogs reportedly on prowl has witnessed a surge in the canine attacks while at least three persons including a 10-year old boy died during the past four months.
 Pertinently, the dog menace came back to the spotlight in February when a Dog Committee was constituted to discuss strategies to tackle the menace. Thereafter there came many ups and downs in the endeavour till in the spring of this year, the High Court finally intervened in response to PIL filed by Viva, an NGO.

Lastupdate on : Wed, 17 Aug 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 17 Aug 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 18 Aug 2011 00:00:00 IST