Having a pet dog becomes expensive in Ghaziabad

‘Registration is good but the fee the corporation wants to levy is impractical’

Having a pet dog will now be an expensive affair in Ghaziabad after the Municipal Corporation passed proposals on Friday to increase the registration fee from ₹10 to ₹5,000.

The fee hasn’t been increased since 1999 when the State government came out with a gazette in this regard. It was also decided that a fine of ₹500 should be imposed on those who allow their pet dogs to defecate in the open.

The corporation would conduct a survey on the number of dogs in the district. At present, it is estimated that there are 80,000 pet dogs in the area that comes under the purview of the corporation.

Senior animal welfare consultant Faizan Jaleel described the proposal as “insane” as many in India earn ₹5,000 a month. “Registration is good as it helps in keeping a check on the number of pet dogs, breeds and their immunisation record in an area but the fee that they want to levy is impractical. I have worked extensively in the field, and the registration fee varies from ₹100 to ₹500 across the country. In some places, the local body also puts a GPS chip in the pet so that it could be traced if it goes missing.” In Delhi and Gurugram, municipal bodies charge ₹500 annually.

Mr. Jaleel cautioned that it could lead to people abandoning their pet dogs. “There are many homes which have two pet dogs, which means an extra expense of ₹10,000,” he said.

On penalising pet owners for making dogs defecate in the open, Mr. Jaleel said, “Again it was a good idea, but impractical in the Indian context. The government is yet to come out with a policy to penalise those who dump non-biodegradable waste in the open. A better way is to sensitise people to carry a bag in which they could collect the poop.”

Agreed Sanmat Jain, a veterinarian, “They are trying to put a western concept in Indian milieu without giving it a proper thought. Here, pet owners try to save on ₹1,500, the amount required for annual vaccination. How would they pay ₹5,000,” he asked. Also, he said penalising for open defecation would add to corruption as there is no foolproof way to check. “It will affect those who feed stray dogs as they could be held responsible for open defecation of strays. It will lead to nuisance in society,” Dr. Jain added.