Srinagar, Sep 9: Stray dogs seem to be a fortunate lot in Srinagar as their “rehabilitation” will come up at a whopping cost of around Rs 1000 crore. The expenditure on construction of pounds is expected to cost Rs 900 crore while the recurring expenditure on their living there and sterilization is expected to be an annual expenditure of Rs 98 crore.
 This is what the Srinagar Municipal Corporation on Friday told the State High Court during a hearing on a Public Interest Litigation on dog menace. The civic body said it has formulated a detailed project report as per which some 1800 dog pounds each with a capacity of 50 canines have to be constructed. And it will require some 2500 kanals of land.
 While the government is yet to decide on resources to fund the multi crore project, the SMC has already started spending around one crore rupees out of the City Development Funds for construction of two pounds on  pilot basis.
 Some fifty lakh rupees have already been spent at Shuhama out of the money meant for construction of drains and other civic facilities for the Srinagarites.
 The construction is coming up on 19 kanal land being provided by the SK Agriculture University of Science at Technology at its Shuhama campus in Alasteng. The SMC has signed an MOU with the SKUAST (K) and the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI).
 The pounds will be equipped with separate kennels for every dog while males and females of the species are scheduled to kept in separate compartments to avoid any mating till they get sterilized.
 The impounded dogs will be looked by specialized people, the Dog Caretakers. Each such caretaker will look after 25 dogs and provide them with food and other requirements. Besides there will  be separate staff to prepare dog food which will include potatoes and porridge, the SMC officials said.
 Given the alarming population of one lakh dogs in Srinagar, officials said over 1800 pounds, each with a capacity to accommodate 50 dogs will have to be constructed whereas each of the pounds will cost around Rs 50 lakh.
 With an alarming dog population on prowl, the City has witnessed a surge in the canine attacks while at least three persons including a 10-year old boy died this year.
  The High Court intervention into the dog menace came up in the summer of this year in response to a PIL.
 Last month, the High Court had directed the SMC to construct the dog pounds at Khimber within a fortnight. But in less than a week the work had to stopped following massive protests by the villagers. Thereafter, the SMC commissioner said, work was started at Shuhama on “pilot basis till the Khimber issue is resolved.”
 Pertinently in one of the hearings Chief Justice Ibraheem Kalifullah had posed a million dollar question to the courtroom which nobody could reply:  Will a dog stop biting after sterilization?

HC gives go head for Shuhama construction
The High Court on Friday directed the Srinagar Municipal Corporation to go ahead with the construction of pounds at Shumama even as the civic body was asked to stop the work at Khimber.
 The division Bench headed by Chief Justice Ibraheem Kalifullah directed that the work at Khimber shouldn’t be carried on as it could lead to problems for the local populace.
 But following the filing of petition by SMC that it would take Rs 1800 crore for construction of dogs and Rs 98 crore on annual functioning the HC said an expert committee should be evolved to find the "best possible solution".
 Advocate Nadeem Qadri who had filed the PIL prayed before the Court that such a huge expenditure shouldn’t be made on dogs in the City, which lacks basic civic amenities like proper roads, drainage and lighting.
 “We don’t need any five star hotels for dogs,” he pleaded.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 9 Sep 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 9 Sep 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 10 Sep 2011 00:00:00 IST