Open House: Which provisions must be incorporated in MC Pet and Community Dog Bylaws?
There should be a check on the nuisance caused by pet dogs. Barking dogs disturb the peace of neighbours. A person should be allowed to walk only one dog at a public place. In case the number of dogs is more, it becomes difficult for the person to handle them, posing a threat to the safety of others.
Abhilasha Gupta, Mohali
Hold those feeding strays responsible
The menace of stray dogs continues to increase in spite of many drives conducted by the civic body. There is no let-up in the incidents of dog bite. Strays have made it difficult for people to go on a morning walk. The number of stray dogs is also increasing even as the MC claims to have conducted a number of sterilisation drives. The general public is seen feeding stray dogs, may be out of certain superstitions, love for them or religious fears. They should be made responsible as well when the dog fed by them bite someone. They should also be made responsible to clean their poop. Suchlike steps can certainly go a long way in checking the menace.
NPS Sohal, Chandigarh
Make leash, muzzle mandatory for pets
The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation should frame pet and community bylaws to promote a harmonious living environment. There should be no escaping licensing and registration of pets. Vaccination and health check-up at periodical intervals should be made compulsory. There should be leash and muzzle rule to ensure safety of people. Make the owner responsible of picking up the poop if pets defecate in the open. Community bylaws should cover noise regulations, waste management and maintaining the atmosphere of tranquillity.
Capt Amar Jeet, Kharar
Penalise people feeding strays
MC needs to define a pet dog. Every time the issue comes up for review, bylaws are announced for owned pets. The menace is not caused by owned pets, but the ones surviving on food given to them by residents without owning them. People feed dogs at their gates. These are the strays that bite people on streets and parks. Those feeding them shy away from the responsibility of controlling them and getting them vaccinated. Resident welfare associations are helpless in absence of enforcement powers. The MC should invite complaints of such violations and penalise such people for causing public nuisance. The identity of the complainant should not be revealed the way it is done for traffic violations. Reducing the population of dogs by seeking court orders for controlled culling may be considered as a one-time measure following which birth-control measures can be implemented.
Col PS Gill (retd)
Introduce plaint mechanism
There should be a complaint mechanism, a dedicated helpline to control aggressive dogs. Stop residents from feeding stray dogs without taking their responsibility. A committee may be constituted for the safety of humans as wells as stray dogs. There should be a provision to sue the owner if a pet bites someone, especially kids and elderly persons. The MC should run dog pounds. Sterilised stray dogs should be tagged.
Kirpal Singh, Chandigarh
Make registration of pets mandatory
The pet bylaws should include provisions for mandatory pet registration and vaccination requirements. It should have leash laws, waste disposal and noise control to ensure public hygiene and safety. Guidelines for responsible pet ownership, designated pet zones, penalties for violations and measures for handling stray dogs humanely should also be incorporated. Clear grievance redress mechanism and public awareness campaigns should be included as well.
Harinder Singh Bhalla, Chandigarh
It is MC’s job to manage strays
The MC should first implement sustainable policy for stray and community dogs, which are its responsibility. The police should provide for compensation to dog bite victims. Any bylaws for pet dogs should be implemented subsequently. The MC should not shirk its responsibility towards strays and must not target only pet owners.
Ashok Kataria, Chandigarh
Catch strays, offer them for sale
Stray dogs should be transferred to pounds where thet should be offered for sale to the general public. The crucial provision will ensure that the dog population in various pounds is kept in check, obviating the need to create additional ones later. This will also generate a sense of ownership amongst the populace and will curb the menace in the long run. The penalty for violations of bylaws should be further enhanced to impose an effective deterrence. The number of pets allowed shouldn't depend on the area or the floors of the house but a simple principle of 'one family, one dog' should be adopted whether it is a joint family or a nuclear family. Apart from one pet, the joint family/nuclear family may adopt one stray. This will keep the population of both pets and strays in check. Ultimately, what will matter is the implementation of these bylaws on the ground.
Brigadier Advitya Madan, Chandigarh
Focus on animal welfare too
The bylaws should include provisions for responsible pet ownership, including mandatory registration, vaccination, and microchipping of pets. It should outline penalties for owners who neglect proper care or skip clean-up after their pets defecate in the open. Clear guidelines for the management and sterilisation of community dogs, along with a focus on animal welfare, are essential. Additionally, provisions for designated pet-friendly zones and restrictions on public nuisance caused by pets should be included for harmonious and safe neighbourhood.
Khushboo Singla, Kharar
Impose ban on feeding in streets
It is a long-pending demand of people to end the nuisance caused by stray and pet dogs. There should be a blanket ban on feeding in streets. A place could be designated for offering food to dogs. Strays should be sterilised to keep their population in check. Registration of pet dogs should be made compulsory. If any pet dog is found without collar and leash, its owner should be heavily fined.
Sukhwant Bhullar, Chandigarh
Take erring pet owners to task
It is high time that bylaws governing and banning violent dogs were framed with clearly spelt out dos and don'ts for dog owners. Strict action should be taken against pet dog owners violating the bylaws. Each municipal ward of the city must be closely monitored and a special drive should be carried out to neuter street dogs.
Vijay Shukla, Chandigarh
Ensure regular dog health check-up
Registration of pet dogs should be mandatory and fees charged from the owners be used for animal welfare programmes. Provide for regular vaccination and health check-up of all dogs. There should be guidelines on responsible pet ownership and management of community dogs, including sterilisation, feeding and sheltering protocols. There should be provisions requiring dog owners to clean-up after their pets defecated in public spaces. Fines for non-compliance with provisions should be hefty and imposed effectively. Rules should be fixed to minimise noise disturbances caused by barking and a mechanism be put in place for people to lodge complaints. Promote adoption over purchase.
Sanjay Chopra, Mohali
MC should set up shelter homes
Fresh bylaws should be framed to solve the nuisance caused by pet and stray dogs. Animal protection laws are essential but human safety is also important. The MC authorities have so far failed to implement a structured stray dog management. The civic body should set up shelter homes for stray dogs as aggressive animals are harmful for society.
Sumesh Kumar Badhwar, Mohali
Animal lovers should help MC manage strays
All pet dogs must be registered with the MC authorities. They must be vaccinated as per norms and their record kept. Owners should be held responsible for their safe upkeep. All stray dogs should be shifted to shelter homes, which the UT Administration must set up on the pattern of gaushalas. Lastly, animal lovers must come forward and help the civic body in managing stray dogs with dignity.
Col TBS Bedi, Mohali
Impose penalty for cruelty to animals
The UT Administration's initiative in drafting the Municipal Corporation Pet and Community Dog Bylaws-2023 is praiseworthy. To ensure responsible pet ownership and kind treatment to community dogs, the bylaws should provide for mandatory pet registration, requiring all pet owners to register their pets with local authorities, with penalties for non-compliance. Compulsory vaccination and sterilisation should be enforced to control their population and prevent the spread of diseases. Additionally, designated feeding zones for community dogs should be identified to avoid conflicts among residents. Lastly, strict penalties for cruelty to animals must be imposed to deter abuse and neglect.
Akash Kumar
Ensure enforcement for public safety
There should be sustained sterilisation. Residents feeding dogs on their doorstep should be penalised. Pet dogs should be allowed only in houses measuring 10 marla and above, albeit not of ferocious breeds. Registration of pets with the civic body must be made mandatory, besides their periodical vaccination. A pet dog taken out for a stroll should be leashed and muzzled. The violators must be proceeded against with penal action. The MC must strictly enforce bylaws so framed.
SS Arora, Mohali
Notify dangerous breeds of canines
Make sure that each house does not have more than two dogs and the pets are trained by a professional. Dangerous breeds must be notified and not allowed to be kept as pets. While taking their pet dogs out, the owners must ensure they are chained and their droppings removed immediately. The owner should be fined in the case of a dog bite and made to compensate and provide medical assistance to the victim. Pet registration and vaccination should be mandatory.
Bharat Bhushan Sharma, Chandigarh
Ensure space, care to stray dogs
Dogs and humans have made the best of teams for times immemorial. Time and time again, we are engulfed in worrying problems of fragile environment for animals. They do not have space for themselves. Altercations over dogs are common in localities. These species are of great help to humans and the Administration must ensure their care as well. Fine owners if they take their pets out unleashed.
Charu Malhotra, Mohali
Start helpline for stray-related issues
It should be mandatory for owners to register their pet dogs. The Municipal Corporation should make regular vaccination and sterilisation of pets and community dogs a must to control the spread of disease and keep the canine population under check. A dedicated helpline must be introduced for residents to report stray dog-related concerns. The MC should ensure swift action on such reports. Above all, impose penalties on pet owners failing to comply with the bylaws.
Anita K Tandon, Mundi Kharar
Put blanket ban on ferocious breeds
There is no let-up in dog bite incidents. Existing rules are not enough to check the problems caused due to stray and pet dogs. The ferocious breeds must be totally banned. All pets must be registered with the Administration, and vaccinated against rabies. Whenever a pet is taken out it should be chained/strapped and held by the owner. Heavy penalties should be imposed on violators. Set up pounds and shift all stray dogs there. No dog should be let out on the streets or parks. Dog lovers can go to the pounds and feed them there, not on the road. A case of dog bite should be treated as culpable homicide against its owner. RWAs should be involved in controlling the menace.
Sqn Ldr Manjit Singh Johar (retd), Chandigarh
Build shelter homes for stray dogs
While registration of pets should be a must, the fees collected from this should be used to run pounds for stray dogs. The owners wishing to abandon pets must hand them over at pounds for a certain fee. The dog shelter should be run by the MC itself or some NGO or both. There should be a provision for adoption of dogs housed at these pounds.
Avinash Goyal, Chandigarh
Question for next week
Immigration agents in the city continue to cheat people with false promises of sending them abroad. What measures should the UT Administration take to keep a check on such fraudulent agents and save people from falling prey to them?
Suggestions in not more than 70 words can be sent to openhouse@tribunemail.com
