Srinagar, Oct 1: The Jammu and Kashmir Government has ordered the creation of dedicated expert teams for animal birth control, with 110 personnel to be deployed across urban local bodies of the Union Territory to strengthen efforts to control the stray dog population and improve sterilisation and vaccination operations.
Under an order issued by the Housing and Urban Development Department on September 19, Jammu Smart City Limited and Srinagar Smart City Limited will each establish an Expert Animal Birth Control vertical comprising 55 personnel. The two teams together will have five veterinary surgeons, 20 para-veterinarians or medical nurses and 30 dog catchers or handlers each.
Significantly, the specialised teams will not be confined to Jammu and Srinagar. The government has decided to create mobile manpower pools which will be deployed on a need-based rotational basis across Urban Local Bodies in Jammu and Kashmir.
The move assumes significance amid the scale of dog-bite cases reported in the Union Territory. The latest figures presented in the Legislative Assembly show 2,06,460 dog-bite cases during 2024 and 2025, providing the wider backdrop against which the government has decided to strengthen the animal birth control mechanism.
In Srinagar, the challenge is particularly significant. Government data presented in the Assembly has put the stray dog population within Srinagar Municipal Corporation limits at 64,416, based on a scientific survey conducted in 2023.
The new order provides for mandatory training of the personnel for at least 15 days before deployment. The training will cover humane dog catching and handling, sterilisation surgery, anaesthesia, vaccination, post-operative care and record-keeping.
/fit-in/580x348/filters:format(webp)/greater-kashmir/media/media_files/2026/10/02/unnamed-2-2026-10-02-06-45-00.png "J&K Govt sets up 110-member specialist teams to tackle stray dog menace 2")
The government has sanctioned a manpower expenditure of Rs 25 lakh per month for the two teams, with Rs 12.5 lakh each allocated to Jammu Smart City Limited and Srinagar Smart City Limited.
As per the approved structure, veterinary surgeons will receive Rs 80,000 per month, para-veterinarians or medical nurses Rs 20,000 and dog catchers or handlers Rs 15,000.
The order says the specialised manpower will supplement, rather than replace, the responsibilities of Urban Local Bodies. The ULBs will continue to be responsible for implementing animal birth control programmes and providing care to sick and injured animals, among other statutory responsibilities.
The arrangement has been approved on a need-based basis and does not create any entitlement to regularisation or permanent government employment for the personnel engaged under the programme.
The creation of the mobile teams marks a shift towards pooling specialised manpower at the Smart City level and deploying it wherever required, rather than relying entirely on the existing capacity of individual municipal bodies.
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