Srinagar, Jan 2: With no check on the alarming population of stray dogs in the City, the canines for now have infiltrated into the highly fortified SK International Conference Centre (SKICC) and mauled one of its employees.
 The prestigious venue has been hosting some of the historic events attended by dignitaries no less than the Prime Minister. But for now scores of dogs are seen prowling in the plush lawns of the SKICC on the banks of famed Dal lake, where the employee was attacked.

THE INCIDENT
 Witnesses said over a dozen odd canine attacked Nisar Ahmed Malik –working as orderly in Finance wing of the SKICC when he was walking in the lawns.
 The man in ‘30s received multiple injuries on face, neck and other parts of the body and was rushed to hospital.
 The Finance Manager M Yaqoob Iqbal while confirming the incident said Malik’s arm was presumably fractured in the attack.
 “He has gone to B&J hospital for further investigations,” the official told Greater Kashmir.

DOGS ALWAYS
 The employees at SKICC said the dog attack was nothing new at the conference centre.
 “In the recent past, the stray packs tried to target at least two of our colleagues but they were rescued by the timely action of others,” said a lower rung employee requesting not to be named.
 While the SKICC staff has now evolved a strategy to avoid dog attacks by walking in groups, they are afraid about the fate of visitors.
 “No doubts that the VIPs are escorted by armed PSOs, what if the dogs attack some children coming to attend function?” argued a SKICC official.

SKICC PRESTIGE
 The country’s newest, and one of its most modern convention centers, the SKICC, as per its website, is equipped to handle international conferences with ease and efficiency.
 “This combines with the timeless splendours of Srinagar to bring to the convention delegates a host of opportunities that span from deliberations to sightseeing, gourmandizing, shopping and leisure activities,” it adds.

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 in the past around a year.
 While the Srinagar Municipal Corporation admits its failure to eliminate stray dogs, the government has failed to formulate an alternative strategy to counter the menace other than looking ahead for a million dollar investment for “rehabilitation of dogs at state-of-the-art” pounds where the male of the specie could be sterilized.

GOVT CONCERN
 The state government is seemingly so concerned towards the welfare of dogs that last year following reports about alleged killing of stray packs in some area, it formulated a high level committee to probe the allegations.
 This was despite the fact that the accused killer, SMC has been claiming to have given up dog poisoning way back in 2007.

BOTTOMLINE
 While many in government support the costly investment of dog pound construction, expected to cost around Rs 10,000 crore; a million dollar question posed by Chief Justice FM Ibraheem Kalif Ullah, who has been personally hearing a PIL over the dog menace, remains un-answered: Will a dog stop biting after sterilization?

Lastupdate on : Mon, 2 Jan 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 2 Jan 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 3 Jan 2012 00:00:00 IST