Srinagar, Jul 29: The J&K High Court on Monday directed the Housing and Urban Development Department (HUDD) to inform it about the action taken on the request by Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) for financial assistance for solid waste management project in Srinagar.
“We are not informed by the HUDD as to in what manner it has considered the request by the SMC in its letter dated 10th May 2018 for financial support for solid waste management project,” observed the court while hearing a public interest litigation on the population bulge of stray canines in the city.
“The decision taken by the official respondents on this account shall be placed before us within one week from today,” directed the court.
A direction was issued to HUDD in May 2019 to consider a request by the SMC for financing of the project on solid waste management in the city.
The direction followed when the court in its earlier hearing of the PIL asked the SMC to place before it the step-wise method of garbage collection, its segregation, dumping and its final treatment.
The court asked the civic body to give a list of the locations at which it has installed segregated dustbins in the city and the manner and schedule in which the garbage is collected from there.
SMC has been directed in unequivocal terms to take effective steps to improve sanitation in the city and tackle the menace of stray dogs by reducing availability of energy-rich garbage to stray dogs.
The direction came after information that garbage was being dumped around schools, hospitals, hotels and central points of city.
The bane of stray dogs has been looming over the summer capital of J&K over the past few years and thousands of people, especially the children have been attacked so far.
A census by the J&K government revealed that the city had 90,000 stray dogs in 2011.
Nearly 31,000 cases of dog bites have been reported at the anti-rabies clinic of the SMHS Hospital between 2012 and 2017, reveals official data.
Traditionally SMC resorted to killing of stray dogs to restrain their population from turning into a public menace. However, the practice ended with the apex court’s directions and certain animal welfare organizations to end the practice of killing.
The authorities have no scheme or method to manage the menace.
