Srinagar records 30711 dog bite cases in past six years

As many as 30,711 dog bite cases were reported in Srinagar during the past six years, reveals the official data.
The data states that 30,711 dog bite cases were registered at an anti-rabies clinic at the SMHS hospital here from 2012-13 to up to 2017.
Of these 7,000 cases were registered in 2012-13, followed by 6,041 cases in 2013-14, 4,917 cases in 2014-15, 5,100 cases in 2015-16, 5,120 cases in 2016-17 and 2,533 cases in 2017-18 up to September.
The official documents state that due to implementation of various strategies, stray bite cases as per the available reports at the hospital over the past few years revealed that there has been around 30 per cent decline in the number of dog bites from 7,000 in 2012-13 to 5,120 in 2016-17.
People are of the opinion that authorities have failed to curb the ever-growing population of stray dogs, the canines pose serious threat to people in Srinagar.
People are up in arms against the authorities for sitting over sterilization of the stray dogs—which has over the years resulted in manifold increase in population of the canines.
Presence of scores of dogs in various habitations including Khanyar, Nowpora, Batwara, Shivpora, Habba Kadal, Rambagh and Solina has hampered smooth movement of the people. The problem is severe at city-centre Lal Chowk and its adjoining areas where dozens of stray dogs are present on roads.
“Besides being a public nuisance, the presence of stray dogs at Lal Chowk hits the image of Srinagar. Authorities have failed to check the problem,” said Muzamil Ahmad of Sonwar.
Residents of Sonwar alleged that the stray dogs outnumber human population in the area. “The problem has assumed horrendous dimensions. Due to presence of hundreds of stray dogs, we cannot even venture out of our homes, particularly during evenings and mornings,” they said.
The stray dogs are mostly present near garbage dumps and food outlets. “Stray dogs have spread terror in our locality. Our children fear to move out even during day. The dumper bins placed outside DAV school by SMC have turned out to be a breeding ground for dogs. We appeal to SMC officials to take measures to check the canine population in the area,” said a group of inhabitants of Jawahar Nagar.
Some incidents of dog bites have occurred inside hospital premises. A few months back, stray dogs attacked and injured many employees at Government Dental College here.
The canine population has witnessed manifold increase in various areas including Lal Chowk, Bemina, Qamarwari, Batamaloo, Rawalpora, Khaniyar, Razikadal, Jawaharnagar and Padshahibagh.
A large number of canines present on roads often attack pedestrians. Health authorities say that children are the worst sufferers.
An official said that 2000 dog bite cases are reported from Srinagar every year and symptoms of rabies are usually non-specific and suggest involvement of the respiratory, gastrointestinal or central nervous systems.
Records at Srinagar’s Anti-Rabies Clinic reveal that 12 dog bite-related deaths have occurred during the past six years alone. “People throw food packets on the streets and these attract dogs. When someone tries to clear it, the canines bite them. There is a need to keep the streets and roads clean,” said one of the officials of SMC Srinagar.
“On our side, we are quick at providing anti-rabies drugs to hospitals and anti-rabies clinics, but municipal authorities must act,” said a doctor at SMHS hospital. According to official figures, there are over 90,000 stray dogs in Srinagar.