Kargil April 06, 2023: Deputy Commissioner/CEO, LAHDC, Kargil Santosh Sukhadeve today chaired a meeting in his officer chamber to discuss stray dog menace in the district.

During the meeting, DC Santosh took a detailed assessment of the issue with regard to the population of dogs and dog bite cases in the district.

Deputy Commissioner directed the concerned officers to constitute a committee and meticulously deal with the issue in accordance with the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. Santosh also directed to do the sterilization of dogs across the district. 

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He also directed the concerned officers at block level to discuss with PRI members to convince people to act as volunteers in the movement. DC Kargil also reflected that an animal shelter should be established in the district.

SSP Kargil, ADC Kargil, ACD Kargil, CMO Kargil, SDM Sankoo, Chief Animal Husbandry Officer, District Sheep Husbandry Officer, Executive Officer, MC Kargil and other concerned officers were present in the meeting.

Pertinent to mention that the Administration has become active after a 79-year-old woman named Tsering Kunzess was killed by stray dogs in Zanskar on March 25.

After the tragic incident, the J&K and Ladakh High Court took a suo-moto cognizance regarding the increasing number of dog-bite cases in Ladakh and initiated a public interest litigation (PIL) on the issue.

The division bench of Chief Justice N. Kotiswar Singh and Justice Sanjay Dhar has directed the Ladakh administration to file a response to the PIL within two weeks.

The court noted that the registered dog bite cases in Ladakh have drastically increased from 854 in 2017 to 2229 in 2022, and about 220 people were reportedly bitten by dogs in January 2023 alone. The court expressed its concern that this drastic surge in the cases has not only created fear among the local population but also among the tourists visiting Ladakh.