Now it has become mandatory for all dog owners to register their pet dogs with South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC). After the launch of a platform for online registration on voluntary basis did not get proper response from pet owners last year, civic officials have decided to act tough for making registration mandatory in the areas under the south civic body.
BS Tyagi, director, veterinary department South MCD said that only 800 pet dogs were registered whereas the number could be much higher.
“So, keeping in mind the people’s safety and the municipal laws, we will start a campaign and penalise owners who are not registered with us.”
Under the Delhi Municipal Act 1957
It is mandatory to register all pet dogs with the municipal corporation. It also has a provision of imposing a minimal fine of `100 if a pet dog owner is found not registered with the civic body.
Soon, teams will go out for a door-to-door survey for reaching out to pet dog owners.
The purpose is manifold: an exhaustive database of pet dog owners will be made, a curb on illegal practices such as unregistered dog breeding and also the monitoring of pet vaccination schedule.
The online registration requires the pet owner to fill in a form, attach documents after which a token registration number is generated. The number should be present on the collar of a dog for its identification.
“I believe pet registration should be done, but unfortunately only a handful of people do that. It is the duty of the civic body also to implement it effectively. If a pet dog is registered, it is helpful when the pet is missing, injured or hurts some stranger. This is the right step as it will also help in checking illegal practices involving dog breeding,” said Sumedha Duggal, a pet owner from Defence Colony.
On the other hand, the south civic body is making progress in controlling the stray dog population. It has sterilized more than 58,000 stray dogs till March end this year.
Through this pet-friendly campaign, the south civic body also plans to tackle lack of awareness amongst the owners about anti-rabies vaccination. Pet dogs need to be vaccinated regularly, but chances are some pet owners may not be following the schedule seriously.
“In such cases, the team will not only issue ‘challans’ but also request the pet owners to get the anti-rabies vaccination done every year,” Tyagi added.
Reference: The New Indian Express
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