Srinagar, Oct 5: Failure of Srinagar Municipal Corporation to restrict movement of stray animals on roads in the summer capital poses risk of accidents to commuters.
Residents from various areas of Srinagar district said that stray cows, horses, and other stray animals have made it inconvenient for commuters and pedestrians to move freely.
“As we talk about unchecked canine population, we should not overlook the issue of stray animals in Srinagar city. Most of the Srinagar city center is congested and these stray animals like cows, horses, and sheep end up on roads round the clock. They hamper traffic movement and also pose a threat of accidents,” said Danish Ahmed of Lal Bazar.
Greater Kashmir received many complaints from various areas of downtown, uptown, and Srinagar outskirts of Hazratabl about the issue. The residents say that the issue has been unaddressed for a long time now.
“At times there are unattended animals who are often injured and are abandoned by owners. These animals end up dying on roads. Such an issue is harmful to public health as well when there are decomposing bodies of stray animals on roads. Our administration is talking about the smart city but what can we expect when such a basic issue is unaddressed,” said Sajid Ahmed, a shopkeeper at Hazratbal.
Officials at SMC said that they are taking steps to tackle the problem of stray animals. “In addition to curbing dog menace, we do keep an eye on the issue of stray animals. We have taken various measures like fining owners for letting animals roam on roads,” an official said.
DrJavaid Ahmed, SMC veterinary officer said that in this year alone, the department has collected around Rs 5 lakh rupees as fine related to letting stray animals roam on roads. He said owners are made aware of the issue and the department is also going to take more steps to tackle the issue.
“We keep lifting these stray animals and then if the owners claim it, we collect fine from them. If no one claims the animal, we auction them. Another issue that we are addressing is the abandoned animals. These animals are usually unhealthy and injured. We are looking into the rehabilitation program of such animals so that issue will be resolved effectively,” he said.