Srinagar
15 people including 9 tourists have been bitten by a ‘rabid dog’ in and around Nehru Park since Sunday.
“We have received 15 people including 9 tourists and 6 locals in our hospital since yesterday having severe dog bites,” says Dr Safoora Bilquees, Head of the Department Community Medicine, SHMS. She adds, “It must be a rabid dog because all the patients have received class III bites.”
These 15 were bitten in and around Nehru Park, the doctor said.
But police and the SMC officials say they are yet to find something substantial.
“These are rumors but still for public safety we have talked to SMC officials to look into the matter,” said Kuldeep Koul, SHO, Nehru Police station.
The tourists attacked by dogs since Sunday are from Kolkata and Mumbai. “I along with my wife was coming back to my hotel from Nehru Park around 7.30 Pm when a mad dog attacked us,” said Amitabh Ganguly, a tourist from Kolkata. His wife received injuries on her right arm and Amitabh on his right eye.
“They will have to visit SMHS to receive vaccination after regular intervals before leaving home.” Amitabh adds, “The dog after biting us jumped on to a local as well who had come to save us. All of us were later shifted to SMHS and discharged recently.”
SMC officials said they have deputed a team of four dog catchers along with a vehicle in the area but did not find any rabid dogs around.
“I do not think there is any rabid dog, all the dogs are absolutely normal but yes they get veracious at times,” says Dr Javaid Ahmed Rather, Municipal Veterinary officer.
“Our team had tried to catch a dog yesterday evening but it fled in the mountains of that area.”
The SHMS officials say that on an average they receive 20 dog bite cases each day and the incidents have increased in past few days.
Pertinently in 2012 a trained pest control graduate, Khurshid Mir had claimed that he wanted to start a drive to take stray dogs away from the populated areas about nothing substantiate came up. Although, Mir received sudden media hype and was even being called ‘Pied Piper of Srinagar’.
what kind of moron suggests displacement as a solution,displacement simply creates a vacuum for new packs to fill and since they r non native and unfamiliar they end up becoming more hostile than the ones displaced,the only solution is a responsible ABC/ARV programme with community involvement and adopting them later as community pets……but the irony is who will educate the stupid sarkari babus that this is the right approach,they just burn their boats and then start blaming those who cannot speak
Absolutely Sehej – you are right and I agree with you. It is proven beyond any iota of doudt that sterilization and anti rabies vaccine (ABC/ARV) is the only remedy for dog over-population. But the SMC for all we know has spent crores on a sterilization drive it is incapable of executing for lack of knowledge, resource and above all honesty.
The Govt of J&K had carried out an appraisal costs on Srinagar’s ABC/ARV vis-a-vis other cities that have successfully done this. It was estimated to cost RS 4 crore from start to end with an imaginary figure of 1 lakh dogs as base. In reality there are no more than 25000. SMC then went on a spending spree constructing pounds & other such like and has already spent more than 2 crores so far – ending up sterilizing a mere 1000 dogs most of whom died at the hands of untrained Vets & shy, reluctant SMC handlers. It is obvious why the SMC never wanted to get the ABC/ARV outsourced. It was more interested in spending the funds all by itself. So here you are with half the estimated 4 crores spent with no accomplishment to claim. SMC has religiously dissuaded offers from NGO’s & organizations with proven track of implementing scientific ABC/ARV the way we know it is done in most Indian cities.
But then Kashmir is different – Every dishonest act here is justified as being conducted in the best interest of the state under the holy cow of the state’s redundant and long dead special status. In this case special only for the deep pockets of SMC officials – none else. Not the people that suffer – nor the villains of the piece – that is the dogs !!! As if it is they not the corrupt SMC babus that were supposed to plan for us and the dogs by default.