PANAJI
The Goa government has revised its approach to various State high courts temporarily staying the Centre's proposed ban on 23 breeds of dangerous dogs.
The State’s Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services has decided to introduce new directives that place the onus on dog owners to ensure the safety of people from their pets. Failure to comply would land them in legal trouble as they would be booked for criminal action under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
This decision comes a day after a 7-year-old boy lost his life on being attacked by a Pit bull at a residence in Anjuna where his mother worked as domestic help.
A senior bureaucrat, speaking to The Goan stated that pet owners must be accountable for their pets. “We cannot afford more such attacks and unfortunately, due to certain developments in other states, our hands are tied. However, the new directives will ensure that owners are held responsible for their pets, especially those that are uncontrollably ferocious. In case of any similar incident, the owner will be booked under the BNS Act,” he revealed.
The government will soon issue a notification listing directives while also discussions are underway to bring the registration of pet dogs under the department's jurisdiction since the local bodies have allegedly shown negligence in enforcing existing rules.
“As per the current Municipalities and Panchayat Acts, every dog owner is required to register their pets with the respective local body. However, these bodies have forgotten their duty to ensure compliance with registration rules,” the official added.
The move to tighten regulations was also prompted by previous incidents when the Rottweiler attack on two minors in Taleigao and a pregnant woman being mauled by a pack of 10 dogs adopted by a villa owner in Vasco, were reported last year. The department had begun to identify certain breeds as particularly dangerous. It was further reinforced by a Central government order earlier this year, which banned 23 breeds of dogs, including Pit bull Terriers and Rottweilers – both commonly found in Goa.
However, the implementation of this order has been temporarily halted after an order by the High Courts in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Delhi.
