Srinagar going to dogs
Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, has been witnessing near daily cases of dog bites due to the increase in stray dog population. In almost every locality and area of uptown and downtown Srinagar, groups of canines wander and attack the people on their will. The dog population in Srinagar is said to be between 50,000 to 1 lakh. Many minor boys, elderly and women have been mauled by the dogs and the dog attacks continue unabated.
According to official figures, Srinagar has recorded 3,832 dog bites cases in first nine months of this year. The summer capital reported 388 dog bite cases in January, 403 in February, 508 in March, 268 in April, 379 in May, 423 in June, 441 in July, 505 in August and 517 in September. In view of the canine threat, people in some areas move around with sticks in their hands to keep the dogs away. The authorities are planning to go for sterilisation of dogs under Animal Birth Control (ABC) project and sterilise 100 dogs every day.
Time’s good for spy cam, CCTV companies
In view of incidents of braid chopping of women in Srinagar, the demand for surveillance equipment including CCTV and spy cams has witnessed an increase. Fear-stricken public have installed CCTV, video door phones and spy cameras in their homes to counter braid choppers. Over two dozen incidents have taken place in a month, triggering fear among people, especially the womenfolk. Advertisements of electronic gadgets have come up in local newspapers. People associated with the trade of security devices say the sales of surveillance gadgets have gone up after incidents of braid chopping.
A musical delight
After the Pakistan-born singer and musical composer Adnan Sami, another Bollywood singer Lucky Ali visited Kashmir and organised a musical concert on the banks of world famous Dal Lake at SKICC in Srinagar last week. Lucky Ali enthralled the audience by singing his famous numbers like Aa Bhi Jaa, Aey Subah and Jaaney Kya Dhoondta Hai Yeh Mera Dil. While Sami’s musical concert was jointly organized by Union Ministry of Home Affairs and J&K Tourism Department, Lucky Ali’s concert was organised by the Army. Both the events were organised to attract tourists back to Kashmir and send a message that Kashmir was a safe tourist destination.
What the fish!!
People were in for a surprise on Sunday after thousands of fish were washed ashore river Jhelum in Chattabal area of Srinagar. Thousands of fish were seen floating on the surface of the river at several places in Chattabal area. People thronged to the area and videos of fish floating went viral on social media. It led to speculation that the river water could have been poisoned and people were urged not to consume the infected fish. After the floating of fish reported, administration immediately swung into the action and sent a team of official to collect samples. Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Syed Abid Rashid said water and fish samples were collected for tests. The officials of Fisheries Department have termed the oxygen depletion as reason for fish washing ashore Jhelum.
The author is the correspondent of the New Indian Express in Jammu and Kashmir.
Email: fayazwani123@gmail.com