PANAJI
Amid an ongoing major move to tackle the growing menace of stray dogs and plans to regulate pet ownership, the State Monitoring Committee proposed compulsory sterilisation and registration of pet dogs.
Sources revealed to The Goan that the proposal was put forth during a joint meeting of line departments and stakeholders. The committee recommended that pet owners who do not sterilise their dogs within six months be liable to pay an annual registration fee of Rs 5,000 until the sterilisation is completed.
The move is to prevent breeding between stray and pet dogs – a significant concern despite the ongoing sterilisation of stray dogs.
“The stray dogs are being sterilised but what if pet dogs encounter the strays? In such situations, it is better to sterilise the pets as well,” a source said. It was also decided that the Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA) and the Directorate of Panchayats (DoP) would be responsible for carrying out the registration process.
The committee’s proposal, which has been submitted to the government for approval before tabling and passing of a Bill, also gives details that dog owners will have a six-month grace period to comply with the free-of-cost sterilisation drive, after which the hefty registration fee would be levied annually till compliance.
Director of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services Nitin Naik confirmed to The Goan that sterilisation of pet dogs would be conducted free of cost once the drive is launched.
In the meeting chaired by Naik, Assistant Director Rajesh Kenny suggested that the data recorded by DMA and DoP during the registration process should be shared with the department’s area officers. This would enable officials to keep track of which dogs have been sterilised.
While the proposal awaits comments, it has come to light that the registration drive, which was expected to commence this month, has been delayed for unexplained reasons. Furthermore, the proposal to charge a registration fee of Rs 1,000 for pedigree dogs and Rs 100 for non-descript dogs is also pending approval.
“Once all these proposals are approved and pet owners are convinced about sterilising their pets, the registration and sterilisation drive can finally commence,” a source said. Importantly, the committee has agreed to exempt old and senile dogs from compulsory neutering, as suggested by stakeholders during the meeting.
Meanwhile, it has been proposed that panchayats could begin manual registration, whereas municipal councils plan to implement an online registration system. However, the online process remains on hold pending the finalisation of registration fees.
On the issue of stray dogs, the government has already launched a sterilisation programme. It is expected that mass sterilisation should be conducted every three months for a minimum of two years to effectively control the stray dog population.
Sources further revealed that in cases where local administrations fail to act against dangerous stray dogs, the department has decided to take suo motu cognizance.
“We have done this in Ponda, where a 20-month-old child was mauled to death by a pack of stray dogs. Our officials identified six ferocious-looking dogs and shifted them to a shelter home. We expect the local bodies to be proactive in handling this issue. However, when the situation demands, we intervene with the help of registered NGOs and volunteers,” the source added.
