Legal actions will be taken against house owners for housing dogs more than the size requires. The decision was taken on Monday, March 11 by the Chandigarh civic body. Any household found catering to more dogs than the prescribed limit, will be strictly punished.
The law was approved by the general house on Monday and implemented. The decision was taken under the new Chandigarh pet and community dog bylaws, although the bylaws were proposed a few months back. The penalty for housing more than the required dogs ranges from Rs. 200 to Rs. 10,000.
Furthermore, keeping the safety of the public in mind, the authority also strictly designated areas to feed community dogs under the RWA. Anyone found throwing eatables in public places, except the ones approved by the body will be punished under the law.
The councillors on Monday made an addition to the already existing bylaws as per the requirements. These include:
According to the limit fixed, a house with less than or equal to five marla houses is allowed to keep a single pet dog. In this case, if it is a building where more than one family resides then it may exceed up to three dogs.
Secondly, a house with more than five marlas but less than or equal to twelve marlas is allowed to accommodate two dogs and additionally, one more, if more than one family resides in the house on different floors.
Thirdly, a house with more than twelve marla and less than or equal to one kanal house can reside only three dogs. Out of this, one dog has to be an adopted Indie dog. In case of more than one family residing in the building, five dogs are allowed in the house.
Fourthly, houses that are more than one kanal, are allowed to keep up to four dogs but two have to be adopted. The limit can be exceeded up to six if more than one family is living in the same house but on different floors.
The residents of Chandigarh need to adhere to the guidelines in case they own dogs strictly. The RWA guidelines for feeding stray dogs are also included in the bylaw itself. It has stated that the resident welfare associations will decide the feeding places for the residents. A certain time period will be allotted to feed the dogs after consultation with the area councillor under the MC.
For the safety of other residents, the allotted place will be an unused one to avoid any unwanted incident or situation.
Apart from the above decisions, strict actions will be taken if any resident is seen throwing eatables to the community or stray dogs apart from the designated spots. In case the activity promotes any sort of disturbance to the public or danger to any life along with any trouble for the passing vehicles, the person will be punished under the Indian Penal Code 1860 or any other related law.
Apart from this, every owner from now on, will have to get their dog registered by paying Rs. 500 along with two recent photos of the dog. In case a household has more than one, the owner will have to pay double the amount along with the vaccination certificate. However, it will not apply to any blind owner who uses the dog for their guidance.
After the registration of the dog, the owner will be issued a metal token by the authority which has to be attached to the collar of the dog. The registration will be valid as long as the dog lives.
In case, it gets misplaced, the owner will have to reissue the token by submitting an application along with Rs. 500. The registration will have to be renewed after five years along with a fee of Rs. 50.
These new bylaws need to be kept in mind while purchasing a new dog. Apart from this, the owners will not be allowed to walk their dogs in Sukhna Lake, Rose Garden, Terrace Garden and other public places under the authority.
