E-Paper
Atiq’s dogs finally get registered with Nagar Nigam
Slain mafia-politician Atiq Ahmed and his family kept five unregistered Great Dane dogs as pets. Three were adopted by an NGO, one by a neighbor, and two were given to another person. The whereabouts of Atiq's horses and cattle are unknown.
Slain mafia-politician Atiq Ahmed and his family kept five dogs of Great Dane species as pets in their ancestral house in Chakia here, but they never got these canines registered with the Nagar Nigam as per the rules set for the foreign breeds.
As per the officials, although the dogs were kept in an enclosure at the main gate of the house and adequate arrangements were made for their food, the family obtained no license for keeping these pets.
Besides, after the incident of Umesh Pal murder in February this year, the situation got worse with none left to look after them following which two of the dogs died.
The Nagar Nigam then stepped in and got the remaining three dogs adopted by an NGO ‘Raksha’.
Later, one of the pets was adopted by a neighbour who is now taking care of it while the other two have been handed over to another person in Dariyabad locality.
Chief Veterinary officer at Nagar Nigam Dr Vijay Amrit Raj said Atiq and his family never applied for registration of their pet dogs. However, the persons who have now adopted them have got them registered with Nagar Nigam and have paid their tax as per rules. The Nagar Nigam keeps an eye on the health of their dogs and a team visits them regularly to ensure their good health, he added.
While the rule for registration for pet dogs is old, it was strictly implemented by veterinary department of the Nagar Nigam in 2022 following some incidents of attacks on people by pet dogs which resulted in serious injuries or even deaths in some cases in Prayagraj and other districts of the state.
As per rules, the registration of a pet dog with Nagar Nigam could be done with an annual tax of ₹630. The Nagar Nigam also issues token for registered pet dogs as a license for keeping them.
No clue about horses and cattle
The horses and cattle owned by Atiq have also gone missing. Locals at Chakia said that Atiq Ahmed and his family were fond of horses and his sons were often seen riding them. They said that Atiq owned at least two horses of good breeds. While the horses were kept at the stable at Atiq’s ancestral home in Chakia, the cattle were in a shelter at Atiq’s office. Locals said that they have no information about the horses or cattle owned by him. Veterinary officer at Nagar Nigam Dr Vijay Amrit Raj too denied having any information about the horses and cattle owned by Atiq. However, he claimed that the department will soon enquire about them.
