Kashmir Impulse Desk
Srinagar, Sep 26
Jammu and Kashmir has approved 110 specialist personnel to strengthen animal birth-control operations and tackle the stray dog population across the union territory, according to a government order.
Jammu Smart City Limited and Srinagar Smart City Limited will each establish an Expert Animal Birth Control team comprising 55 personnel, under an order issued by the Housing and Urban Development Department on September 19.
Each team will have veterinary surgeons, para-veterinarians or medical nurses, and dog catchers or handlers.
The personnel will form mobile manpower pools that can be deployed on a rotational, need-based basis across urban local bodies in Jammu and Kashmir.
Government data presented in the Assembly showed 206,460 dog-bite cases during 2024 and 2025. Srinagar’s stray dog population was estimated at 64,416 in a 2023 scientific survey.
The teams will undergo at least 15 days of training covering humane dog catching and handling, sterilisation, anaesthesia, vaccination, post-operative care and record keeping.
The government has approved a monthly manpower cost of Rs 25 lakh for the two teams, with Rs 12.5 lakh allocated to each Smart City company.
Veterinary surgeons will be paid Rs 80,000 a month, para-veterinarians or medical nurses Rs 20,000 and dog handlers Rs 15,000.
The specialist teams will supplement existing urban local body responsibilities rather than replace them, the order said.
The arrangement will not create any entitlement to regularisation or permanent government employment for personnel engaged under the programme.
The government said the teams would allow specialised manpower to be pooled at the Smart City level and deployed where required.
