From Apr 1, Pet Registration Fee To Go Up 5 Times In Gzb, Health News, ET HealthWorld

Ghaziabad: Beginning April 1, the fee to register a pet with GMC will go up five times from Rs 200 currently to Rs 1,000, officials said on Tuesday.

The decision, they said, will encourage owners to get their pets registered with the corporation at the earliest.

“Last week, the GMC board decided to hike the pet registration fee. We have urged pet owners to register before the annual registration fees are hiked to Rs 1,000 from April 1. According to our estimate, there are about 15,000 pets in the city,” said Dr Anuj Singh, the chief veterinary and social welfare officer of the corporation.

The registration process was mandated in 2022, and till now, 5,925 pets have been registered with the civic body.

Singh also pointed out the fine for not registering a pet was Rs 5,000.

GMC last year came up with a policy that said a pet owner cannot keep more than four dogs. It also said that up to two dogs can be kept in private property of 182sqm, and up to four in 273sqm space. Other rules mandated use of muzzle on dogs in lifts, parks and other public areas, with some exceptions for summer.

The policy was criticised for being against Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) rules, which specify that no RWA or apartment owners’ association (AOA) can force a pet owner to use muzzles.