A private member's bill aiming to curb the stay dog menace in the state was introduced in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly today.
The bill titled 'Jammu and Kashmir Curbing the menace of stray dogs bill, 2015' was introduced by independent MLA Engineer Rashid who said that stray dogs have wreaked havoc in several parts of the state.
While introducing his bill that would empower the local authorities at Panchayat and Tehsil levels to order killing of canines in "extreme situation" Engineer Rashid said, "let us all unite and unanimously help the people of the state get rid of the terror of these stray dogs."
The deputy chief minister Dr Nirmal Singh first stood to object the introduction of the bill, but later the bill was accepted after the Law and Parliamentary affairs Minister Basharat Bukhari intervened and asked that the bill may be allowed to be debated in the house.
"Whether the bill is passed or rejected will be decided later, but let us debate on the issue and reach a consensus," he said.
However, Engineer Rasheed countered him by saying that I invited deputy Chief Minister to walk with him in Srinagar City. "He will have no problem from militants, Hurriyat or Army but from the terror of the stray dogs", Rashid said.
The bill states that the government should make every effort to curb and check the population of stray dogs without any failure and should make use of scientific technology to control such a menace.
"The authorities of municipal corporation and the municipal committee besides the members of Panchayati Raj institutions should be allowed to assign the job of restricting the population of most dangerous stray dogs...," the bill states.
The bill further states, "Provided in extreme cases killing of dogs may also be allowed by the government, after seeking permission from the Tehsildar concerned".
The bill also has a provision to pay compensation to the "victims of dogs".
"Rs 5 Lakhs or Rs One Lakh as the case may be given to the person who gets disabled or is partially disabled by an injury caused by a stray dog," it said.
