PIONEEREDGE NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
The Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) will carry out a dog census to get data needed for proper planning, resource allocation and tracking progress of stray dogs in the city. It will also make 20 to 25 dedicated dog feeding points across Dehradun initially and will impose a Rs 5,000 penalty on those who feed dogs on roads. This was decided in the MCD board meeting on Tuesday.
The Dehradun municipal commissioner Namami Bansal said that MCD will expand its existing Animal Birth Control (ABC) centre by adding about 100 new dog canals to the existing 72. Stray dogs will be kept for 15 to 20 days instead of five and experts will train them in feeding habits before release. MCD will also vaccinate stray dogs thrice in the first year and once every year thereafter. The newly appointed senior municipal veterinary officer Dr Varun Aggarwal further informed that the corporation will engage trainers to help rehabilitate a section of stray dogs. It will also conduct awareness campaigns and display posters to educate residents about vaccination and training. NGOs will work with MCD in the census and training process.
Aggarwal proposed in the meeting that owners of pet dogs without registration and vaccination will attract a penalty of Rs 5,000, while a fine of Rs 3,000 will be imposed for letting dogs defecate in open areas. Pet owners will be fined Rs 2,000 for not keeping their dogs on a leash and Rs 5,000 for feeding them in open areas. Leaving pet dogs free in public will lead to a fine of Rs 3,000. This proposal was passed in the meeting.
It was also decided that pet dog registration fee will remain Rs 200 per year, while breeding category dog owners will pay Rs 1,000 annually. Breeding establishments will be registered at Rs 2,000 annually and pet shops between Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,000. Renewal charges will be half of the registration fees. Aggarwal informed that foreign breeds restricted by law will not be allowed as pets. However, owners already having such pets will need to provide a training certificate from experts before registering them with MCD.
He stated that for dairies, a fine of Rs 5,000 will be imposed for unhygienic conditions, Rs 10,000 for dumping waste in drains and Rs 2,000 for not registering animals. Abandoning cattle will invite a fine of Rs 3,000 per animal and Rs 1,500 per day thereafter. After three warnings, the MCD will shut the dairy. It was also decided that meat shop operators will face fines of Rs 2,000 for unhygienic conditions, Rs 3,000 for not installing glass or nets and Rs 5,000 for operating without an NOC. Aggarwal informed that MCD is also considering building 50 canal houses for sterilisation and post-operative care of stray cats.
The corporation has already sterilised and vaccinated over 51,000 dogs since 2016, but complaints about stray dog numbers continue from residents and public representatives. The new measures aim to regulate stray animals, strengthen vaccination and improve compliance with national and State guidelines, the municipal commissioner said.
