Despite a sharp decrease in dog bite cases in the city, the authorities concerned here said stray dogs were thriving on the waste produced in government-run hospitals.
While the stray dog population has decreased to half, officials said dog bite cases have come down to 4,684 in 2015-2016.
“The population of stray dogs has reduced by almost 50 per cent,” the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) officials said during a meeting on sanitation and dog menace on February 6.
“The number of dog bite cases treated at Shri Maharja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital has shown reduction from 6,014 cases in 2014 to 4,684 cases in 2015-2016 due to various measures adopted by the SMC,” the meeting was informed.
The meeting was called by Government Medical College Principal Dr Kaisar Ahmad and was attended by heads of all associated hospitals and Joint Commissioner, Srinagar Municipal Corporation.
The reduction in dog menace has come at a time when officials have acknowledged that huge amount of waste produced in hospitals became a source for thriving canine population.
“Medical superintendants of various hospitals raised the common issue (dog menace), which is haunting all the hospitals,” read a document related to the meeting.
Medical superintendants of all the associated hospitals were asked to ensure segregation of waste before disposing it off.
The SMC, the document read, would carry out two sanitation drives in a month in all the hospitals which would further bring down access of food to the canines and reduce the issues pertaining to sanitation.
Meanwhile, the SMHS and Lalla Ded Hospital authorities have requested the SMC to lift waste material twice a day from the premises to reduce the incidence of dog menace.
Stray dogs thriving on hospital waste
