The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) plans to write to the State government seeking permission to impose fines on pet owners who have not registered their pets with the civic body and obtained the requisite licence for the same.
An official in the Corporation said they would write to the government after the model code of conduct is lifted next month. The permission of the Animal Welfare Board of India would also be sought for its implementation.
This move comes after a 5-year-old girl and her mother were mauled by two pet Rottweilers at a GCC park at Nungambakkam on May 5.
Under the regulations of the Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies Act, a penalty of ₹100 was imposed on those who didn’t possess a pet licence from 2018. However, the rules were later revised, and the penalty clause was changed to “appropriate action will be taken by the local body”, the official stated.
According to the Tamil Nadu Animals and Birds in Urban Areas (Control and Regulation) Act, 1997, “If any notified animal or bird, in respect of which no licence has been obtained, found straying or found to be kept in an urban area is seized... the owner may, within 48 hours of such seizure, apply for and obtain a valid licence in respect of such animal or bird and redeem it after paying to the local authority... fine and such feeding and maintenance charges as may be prescribed.
Pet registration
Meanwhile, pet registration saw a surge as over 250 new registrations were approved for pet licences in just three days, according to GCC’s Veterinary Officer J. Kamal Hussain. “As of Sunday, over 105 pet licence registrations were recorded with the Corporation, but on Wednesday, 357 licences were given out. Moreover, over 1,010 applications were being processed. In 2023, 1,560 pet licences were issued. Previously, an average of 1,500 licences were issued each year. This year, we expect more pet owners to register in the coming days,” he said.
K. Ramakrishnan, a resident of Ayanavaram who owns a 9-year-old German Shepherd, said that he was readying the documents and would apply for registration soon. “My son had rescued a dog back when he volunteered at the Blue Cross in Velachery. We didn’t think registration was important until the recent unfortunate incident. I told my colleagues and neighbours who have dogs to get a licence and they have passed on the message to others. It’s a good idea for the Corporation to keep a record of the number of pets and their breed types,” he said. He said he would apply via the ‘Namma Chennai’ app of the Corporation.
Pet owners can also visit http://117.232.67.158:8061/login and register their pets by paying ₹50.
A pet owner in the city claimed on social media that the Corporation had not inspected their two dogs for approving the licensing applications. “Our older dog is disabled and the new one has a scarred history. Taking a licence is a precautionary measure for us given the general air of apprehension around dogs,” he said.
Denying this, Mr Hussein said the process was expedited recently and registration approval period had also been shortened from seven days to three days.
