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Chandigarh man told to remove 12 dogs from his house
SDM issues show-cause notice to businessman residing in Sector 8 on plea of neighbours, who complain of nuisance and inconvenience due to the dogs
Taking up a complaint of “nuisance and inconvenience” owing to 12 dogs kept in a house in Chandigarh’s upscale Sector 8, the area subdivisional magistrate (SDM) has ordered the owner to immediately remove the canines.
The house owner in question is Rajbir Rai, a businessman. He has kept three German Shepherds and a Lhasa Apso as pets and is also giving shelter to stray dogs. He was earlier staying in Sector 15 and moved to Sector 8 about two years back.
The order came after 10 people living on the same lane approached SDM (central) Tejdeep Saini, complaining that the canines fight all day and keep barking at night, disturbing the peace in the area.
In the show-cause notice issued on August 11, Rai has been told to “remove the dogs from the area and shift them to some other convenient place”. He has also been asked as to why the order should not be enforced and cost be taken from him. In the case of non-compliance, he has been directed to appear before the SDM on September 1.
Even Chandigarh Registration of Pet Dogs Bylaws allow residents to keep a maximum of four canines, at least two of whom should be adopted street dogs. Any violation can lead to penalty, and even criminal proceedings if dogs bite anyone.
What neighbours say
“For the past two years, we have been facing inconvenience due to these dogs, who keep fighting with each other and howling through the night, making it difficult for us to sleep. We have been requesting Rai to do something about it, and despite all assurances, he has failed to shift the dogs,” said Surjit Singh Kohli, one of the neighbours who made the complaint.
Area councillor Maheshinder Singh Sidhu said the residents had been complaining for long about Rai keeping dogs beyond the permissible number. “There are a number of senior citizens staying in the area, who have been objecting to it,” he said.
RS Gill, president of the residents’ welfare association, Sector 8, said: “A crying dog is considered a bad omen, and we are staying in a locality where it happens every night. We had earlier lodged a complaint with the municipal corporation, and after the officials visited Rai’s house, he had promised to shift the dogs. We had even lodged a complaint with police, but no action was taken.”
Frivolous complaint: Rai
Rai on his part termed the complaint frivolous, denying that he has kept 12 dogs at his house. He admitted to having four pets besides three stray dogs that he had rescued from a construction site in the neighbourhood.
“Periodically, dogs walk into my house, and I feed them,” he said, claiming that he has been working for animal welfare.
Rai alleged the present complaint was the result of a complaint of animal cruelty pending against one of the neighbours. “It is only to bully me. I will take it to its logical end and will not get bullied,” he said, while adding that he is awaiting a copy of the complaint and no one visited his house before issuing the notice.
