Avinash Azad
In a grim revelation that highlights a deepening public health crisis, the Jammu and Kashmir government on Tuesday informed the Legislative Assembly that a staggering 2,12,968 dog bite cases were reported across the Union Territory between 2022 and 2025 — with Jammu district alone accounting for 54,889 cases, the highest in the region.
The data, shared in response to a question raised by MLA Mubarak Gul, paints an alarming picture of the growing stray dog menace that continues to endanger public safety across both divisions of J&K.
According to the official figures, out of the 2.12 lakh reported cases,
- 1,14,498 were from the Kashmir division, and
- 98,470 from the Jammu division.
District-wise, the worst-hit areas include:
- Jammu – 54,889 cases
- Srinagar – 36,406 cases
- Anantnag – 26,453 cases
- Baramulla – 18,563 cases
In all other districts, the numbers remained below 10,000 — yet collectively, the figures expose a massive failure in stray dog control and urban waste management, both cited by experts as key drivers of the crisis.
The government further revealed that between June 2022 and September 2025, only 48,998 dogs were sterilised and vaccinated, including:
- 13,730 by various Municipal Committees (MCs),
- 27,237 by Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC),
- 1,161 by Urban Local Bodies Kashmir (ULBK), and
- 7,870 by Urban Local Bodies Jammu (ULBJ).
Despite these sterilisation efforts, the surge in dog bite incidents indicates that the pace of the government’s response remains woefully inadequate. Health experts warn that at this rate, the sterilisation campaign would take years to make a measurable impact, while thousands continue to fall victim to dog attacks each year.
Public health activists and residents have called for urgent, coordinated measures, including large-scale sterilisation, strict waste disposal enforcement, and public awareness campaigns.
The data tabled in the Assembly exposes a disturbing reality — that despite repeated warnings, Jammu and Kashmir’s urban centres are fast becoming unsafe zones, where the stray dog population is thriving unchecked, leaving the administration struggling to contain what has now become a public safety emergency
