Noida authority to form panel to look into dog related issues

Residents said that it is high time the authority formed an unbiased committee to look into such matters which tend to become points of conflict between ‘animal lovers’ and ‘animal haters’. Animal lovers opined that such a committee should provide information, not regulation, and consist entirely of experts who have worked in the area

The Noida authority is planning to form a committee comprising officials, residents and experts to look into issues related to dogs — both pets and strays — in residential areas and apartment complexes, officials informed.

Noida, India- J (Hindustan Times)

The committee will also help enforce mandatory pet registration and come up with rules regarding pets and stray animals, officials. Several disputes have been registered involving human-animal conflict, especially related to dogs, in the past few months.

“There have been cases of dogs biting humans those involving people assaulting animals. We often get complaints about feeding points for stray animals as well as the use of common areas by pets. Noticing a rise in such cases, we have recommended forming a committee that will formulate basic guidelines to tackle all such problems,” said Indu Prakash, officer on special duty, Noida authority.

Though pet registration has begun in Noida, people still have not registered their pets, Prakash added. Failing to register pet animals will lead to the imposition of penalties. “When pets are registered, we have a record of their vaccination status. We also provide two vaccines free of cost, including the anti-rabies vaccine. People don’t realise that it is important to keep their pets healthy and have proper information on the vaccination status of the animal in case it attacks a human being,” he said. Prakash further informed that the committee would be formed following approval from the authority’s chief executive officer.

Animal lovers opined that such a committee should provide information, not regulation, and consist entirely of experts who have worked in the area. “The committee should not be an arbitration body and comprise experts like animal behaviour analysts, NGOs, people working with shelters and others. It should work extensively on providing correct information and dispelling misinformation regarding animal behaviour,” said Ambika Shukla, People For Animals (PFA).

Shukla added that there should be adequate information on how to behave around animals, just like traffic rules and mock fire drills. “We should not act on impulse. Cases of animal attack are rare and usually have a trigger. Instead of forming arbitrary rules, people should be educated about basic and simple rules like not approaching a dog, and touching it on the head,” Shukla said.

A series of incidents involving stray dog bites were reported last month, including multiple complaints from Paras Tierra society in Sector 137. This led to much debate over designated feeding points for stray dogs. Dog bite cases in elevators and parks were reported over the past week, triggering heated discussions bout whether pets should be allowed in common areas. Following these incidents, another case was reported wherein a pet dog was beaten up by other residents for sitting outside their house. With increasing cases in Lucknow, the Lucknow Development Authority is also mulling over a proposal that lists rules such as no walking of dogs without leashes, no dogs in elevators, and mandatory pet registration.