Srinagar: The menace of stray dogs in the city has become a cause of concern not only for residents but also for the authorities who have so far failed to put a check on their growing population.

As per an estimate, there are around one lakh dogs in Srinagar and it seems that the authorities have no way to control them.

“This is a major problem for all of us. Stray dogs bite people, chase them when they go to prayers early in the morning, and scare away children,” Shabir Ahmad, a resident of Bemina said.

Stray dogs can be seen in large groups around garbage dumps in the residential areas. “These dogs have made the life hell, particularly for women and old age persons,” Munner Ahmad of Rabagh told KNS.

He said that it seems that the Srinagar Municipal Corporation is unaware of various laws regarding how to check the growth of stray dogs as the animal birth control rules prevent their killing unless the animal turns highly infectious or rabid.

Residents of areas like Qamarwari, Batmallo, Noorbagh complaining of increased population of stray dogs.

Though the Municipal Corporation captured the stray dogs in the area, their numbers just keep rising,” Nazair Ahmad of Noorbagh told KNS.

He said that even after making several complaints to the authorities nothing much has changed.

“Some of the dogs living in our area are obviously rabid. Not just bites, but several accidents also keep taking place as they keep following the motorists even after dark, said Jaffar ahmad of Batmalloo and added that many children have been bitten in the last one month, making the others too scared to go out and play, he said. (KNS)