Sign in

Penalty up to ₹10,000 for dog owners in Bhubaneswar if pet defecates in public

All dog owners have to get their pet compulsorily registered with the BMC following which a metal token/tag/chip having name and address of the owner engraved on it will be given

Updated on: Mar 22, 2023, 19:50:26 IST
By
Share
Share via
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • whatsapp
Copy link
  • copy link

Pet owners in Bhubaneswar will have to shell out penalties up to 10,000 if they flout rules as mentioned in the new draft bye-laws of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC).

According to the bye law, a certificate from a veterinary doctor confirming its vaccination for rabies must be submitted. (Representative file image)
According to the bye law, a certificate from a veterinary doctor confirming its vaccination for rabies must be submitted. (Representative file image)

According to these rules, any dog owner who makes his pet defecate in public places such as residential areas, parks, streets and roads, does not get the excreta removed, keeps dog chained/leashed, does not get the pet vaccinated and abandons them, will have to pay penalty of up to 10,000 and additional fine of 200 per day.

According to the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (Registration and Proper Control of Dogs) Bye-Laws 2023 which is yet to be announced, all dog owners have to get their pet compulsorily registered with the BMC following which a metal token/tag/chip having name and address of the owner engraved on it will be given.

Also Read: Ghaziabad invites public objections to ‘dog policy’

The owners have to get the dog to wear it at all times.

According to the bye law, a certificate from a veterinary doctor confirming its vaccination for rabies and a sterilization certificate from the veterinary doctor need to be submitted with the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation before the registration.

“The chip will contain all details like the name and address of the owner. According to the new rule, the owners will ensure hygiene and make sure that others are not getting disturbed because of their pet animals. Any dog without collar or chips if found on the streets or beyond the house of the owner will be detained,” said BMC Mayor Sulochana Das.

“The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation will not be held responsible for any loss, damage or injury caused by a registered dog to any person or to his/her property and sole liability to compensate the victim/ livestock will remain with the owner of the registered dog,” the bye law said.

The latest guidelines came a month after state animal husbandry minister Ranendra Pratap Swain directed all chief district veterinary officers to remove all stray dogs from the streets following the death of a five-year-old boy by a stray dog in Hyderabad.

According to the livestock census done by the ministry of fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying in 2019, Odisha with 17.34 lakh stray dogs had the second largest number of stray dogs while Uttar Pradesh topped the list with 20.5 lakh stray dogs.

According to a reply by central government in Lok Sabha, the state saw 57,354 dog bite cases till November 30 last year.

  • Debabrata Mohanty
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Debabrata Mohanty

    Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More