It is amazing but true that chirping birds are already woken up before you open your eyes after having night’s long sleep. Ass is an animal which sleeps while standing. But stray dogs, the real terrorist, never sleep and are always ready to attack human lives. And the victims have mostly been children and women folk. They turn more ferocious when some one pelts a stone at them.
Stray dogs issue is one of the main unresolved problems in our state and the common people are unable to get rid of this menace. Much has been said and highlighted through media but the issue continues to remain hanging in the balance. Hardly any day passes off without news about stray dogs. Most of the children were reported bitten by both stray and rabid dogs. A three year old girl’s face was mauled by the stray dogs a few days ago and no one, even not medicos treating patients at the ARC, could bring smile to her face.
And this time the dog bites have shown a steep rise in valley and broken all previous records in the state. In the face of the prevailing laws, you cannot kill stray dogs, or hurt them, even if they disfigure you, or simply when they chase you. All that you can do in your defense is to appeal to God.
Whether dogs remain less active during winters and become more violent during summers is not our concern. We need not go in depth. The need of the hour is to find everlasting solution to the problem.
On the one hand, when the SMC crawls towards sterilization, the state government on the other hand seems reluctant to harm this race of God’s creation. Instead, a whopping amount of rupees one crore has been spent to build a state-of-the-art dog compound.  As per news report published in Greater Kashmir (April 10, 2012) the dog compound with pre-operative, post-operative facilities at Shuhama on the city outskirts is ready for use and the SMC has already started the process of sterilization. The question haunts: will a dog stop biting after sterilization? The query raised by the Ex Chief Justice F M Ibraheem Kalifullah in the court chamber a year ago is still looking for answers. To me another question that stares straight in the face is as to why public money allotted by the state government to the SMC for developmental works has been spent on dog compounds. There is absolutely no accountability in every sphere of life.
The panoramic view of dog compound at Shuhama captured by GK lensman Aman Farooq has drawn our attention. The dog compound, expected to house some 400 dogs at a time, is built on 19 kanal land provided by S.K Agriculture University Science and Technology in Alasteng in the outskirts of Srinagar. And 50 dogs can be sterilized a day after their fitness aspect is clarified by a team of doctors first.
At present there is total confusion all around as sterilization process is long and tough. At the same time official records reveal that about one lakh stray dogs are present in the summer capital alone.
Having said all this, let us take a look and watch if the court directions turn a new leaf.

(The author is Retd. Assistant Director of Tourism/Former Under Secretary to Govt)

Lastupdate on : Tue, 29 May 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 29 May 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 30 May 2012 00:00:00 IST