BHUBANESWAR: Even though a year has passed since the framing of the much-hyped draft by-law for pet regulation in the city, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has not been able to notify it, thanks to administrative apathy.
The civic body framed the draft Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (Registration and Proper Control of Dogs) by-law in November 2022 after Sucheta Mohanty Khatoi, a resident of Tapaswini Colony in Patia, complained with police alleging that her son sustained serious injuries after being attacked by their neighbour’s dog.
The incident led to a massive hue and cry underlining the need for regulations for pet owners. The by-law contained various provisions for owning a dog or other pet animals and stipulated that the owner would have to pay a fine of Rs 10,000 in the event of a breach of any of its norms. It also underlined that if needed, an owner could be disqualified from keeping pet dogs at home.
After careful consideration and feedback from stakeholders, the civic body finalised the draft in March and submitted the same before the Housing and Urban Development (H&UD) department for its vetting and approval. However, the draft by-law has been gathering dust since then with little attention paid to its notification.
Municipal commissioner Vijay Amruta Kulange said the H&UD department had sought a few clarifications about some of the norms of the by-laws which was submitted to the department a few weeks back. The by-law will be notified only after it is approved by the government, he said.
Meanwhile, an official from the civic body, on condition of anonymity, said some of the residents have expressed discontentment as it might be difficult for them to follow the norms. As per the draft by-law, a person must not keep a dog older than four months within BMC jurisdiction without registration. The dog is to be registered when kept or brought within the BMC area on or before April 1 every year or within seven days of its arrival.
The registration will cost around Rs 500 after which the owner will be given a metal token or tag having his/her name and address engraved on it. Any dog found without tag collar/metal token on the streets will be lifted by the civic body and a fee of Rs 300 per day, a maximum up to Rs 2,500 for the detention period, will be collected from the owner during its recovery.
Any harm to a person or livestock by the dog will be the responsibility of the owner. The dog owners will also be required to ensure that their pets do not defecate near the residences of others. The draft by-law also makes it clear that ‘no owner can abandon his/her pet dog. It will be treated as cruelty to the animal and attract penal provisions.
Provisions in the by-law
Dog older than 4 months must not be kept without registration
Registration of dog must be complete on/before April 1 or within 7 days of its arrival
Any dog found without tag collar/metal token will be lifted by BMC and fee of Rs 300-Rs 2,500 per day during detention will be paid by owner
Harm to any person or livestock by the dog will be owner’s responsibility
Abandoning dog/pet will require owner to pay penalty