Only 98 dog owners have obtained a license from NMC, estimated 20,000 pet dogs in the city
After several cases of overcrowding, extreme pet abuse, and conflicts between owners and their neighbors over pets, licenses were even made mandatory a few years back.
Nagpur: There are an estimated 20,000 pet dogs in the city, But in the current financial year, only 98 dog owners have obtained a license from Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) to keep pets at home. And the NMC also says that it will be mandatory for owners to get a license every year to keep pets in the house, but very few citizens follow this rule.
After several cases of overcrowding, extreme pet abuse, and conflicts between owners and their neighbors over pets, licenses were even made mandatory a few years back.
The response from pet owners to getting licensed from the NMC was always bleak. Only in 2013, when Nagpur Municipal Corporation started a campaign through an NGO, The maximum number of pet dog licenses reached 642. Otherwise, it has never even crossed the 200 mark at all. Sources said.
NMC officials of the Veterinary Department have also said that the number of domesticated dogs may be highest in residential areas in the major areas of west and southwest Nagpur such as Friends Colony, Laxmi Nagar, Dharampeth, Civil Lines, and residential localities in Nandanwan, Itwari, Shanti Nagar and Sakkardara.
NMC should allow online registration of pet dogs and pet shops
The NMC is also all set to launch a drive to penalize the owners who have completely failed to get their pets registered with the NMC. Registration also ensures that the dog has been vaccinated, Sources said. A Nagpur Municipal Corporation official has also said that the civic body does not make any special provision for registered dogs, this is just proof that the dog has been vaccinated.
Many pet owners have also claimed that they were not aware of the need to obtain such a license to keep pets.
One pet owner (who spoke on condition of anonymity) said he was aware of the rule. “But I didn’t get the license as it is being given from the head office of Civil Lines of NMC which is about 10 km from my location,” He also said so. He demanded that the Nagpur Municipal Corporation should decentralize the system.
Many people have also demanded that NMC should allow online registration of pet dogs and pet shops, Which will certainly increase the number of licensed pets.
However, officials have maintained that most pet owners completely fail to obtain NOC from their neighbors. And because of this, they do not apply for a license to keep pets.
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