(IN): Chandigarh taxes man's best friend

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Chandigarh taxes man's best friend Tuesday, July 21, 2009

 

Chandigarh, July 21 (IANS) Dogs are considered man's best friend. But try to

keep your friends' circle to two, for authorities here have imposed a tax on

the third dog you may keep.

 

Also make your pets behave, for you are going to be fined if your dog bites

anyone or makes a mess in public.

 

The administration approved and notified the new 'Dogs by-laws' last week

according to which one cannot keep more than two dogs at home in Chandigarh.

In case you want to, you have to pay to the municipal corporation a 'dog

tax' of Rs.1,000 per dog every year .

 

It is also mandatory for the dog owners to register each pet at the dog

cell, when the dog is four months old. Two photographs of the dog have to be

pasted on the form with the details of its age, colour, breed and

vaccination record. The cost of registration is Rs.200-500.

 

The corporation will issue a metal chip in return and the owner has to tie

the chip to the collar band of the dog.

 

G. Diwan, medical officer health (MOH) of the corporation, told IANS: 'We

have made these laws to make things more streamlined and to curb the menace

of dogs in Chandigarh. We have got the approval from the department

concerned and these by-laws have been notified by the administration.

 

'We had been working on these by-laws for a long time and we had kept in

mind various parameters while drafting them.'

 

According to the new by-laws, if a dog bites anybody, its owner has to pay

appropriate compensation to the victim. The owner also has to ensure that

his dog does not destroy property and does not defecate at public places or

in open grounds.

 

The owner has to provide sufficient space, good food and medical facilities

to the dog. Violation of any rule means a Rs.500-1,000 fine.

 

These rules have evoked a mixed response from residents.

 

'We are sensible enough to get our dogs vaccinated properly at the right

time. So what is the use of getting it registered with the administration?

It will only increase the work of already burdened government offices of the

city,' said Sanjeev Sharma, a local businessman, who owns three dogs and two

cats.

 

'I also believe that it would also lead to more corruption, as many

unscrupulous elements will take it as an opportunity to make extra money by

unnecessarily harassing dog owners,' Sharma said.

 

Smridhi Bhalla, another dog lover, told IANS: 'The decision to limit the

number of domestic dogs to two is beyond our understanding. It is quite

strange that instead of keeping a tab on stray dogs, they are more worried

about pet dogs that are not harming anybody.'

 

However, Jayant Sharma, president of a residents' welfare association in

Chandigarh, told IANS: 'Domestic dogs have emerged as a big threat for

morning and evening walkers as most of the times they are more dangerous

than stray dogs. We are happy with these new by-laws and now want our

administration to implement them strictly.'

 

Rohit Ruhella, an environmentalist based here, said: 'People consider dogs

their status symbol and even take them to various gardens and the Sukhna

lake. They do not bother when these animals destroy the beauty of these

places.'

 

According to the records of the animal husbandry department, in 2007 there

were 13,425 dogs in the city, including 7,712 domestic dogs and 5,713

strays. Of them, 9,034 were male and 4,391 female.

 

(Alkesh Sharma can be contacted at alkesh.s)

 

©Indo-Asian News Service

 

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