“Recently, the number of human-dog conflicts involving pet dogs and strays has increased. The dog policy has been framed in an attempt to address this. Under it, RWAs and AOAs will be responsible for stray dogs in the society and identfy feeding points for them in consultation with dog lovers,” said Anuj Kumar Singh, veterinary officer, GMC.
The registration of pet dogs is now mandatory, and while applying for registration, the dog owners should ensure their pets are vaccinated and attach that certificate with the form. For pet registration, dog owners should pay Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 for renewal.
“Muzzle is must for pet dogs in lifts, parks and other public places. There will be relaxations in the muzzle rule during extreme heat conditions, like in peak summer. Dog owners also should ensure cleanliness in the society and around it,” added Singh.
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Any violations of the dog policy will invite a penalty of Rs 10,000.
“The policy also makes it mandatory for all pet shop owners within the municipal limits of Ghaziabad to obtain a license from the GMC and renew it within 30 days of its expiry. The GMC will charge Rs 5,000/year for the license,” said Singh.
“Under rules in the Prevention of Animal Cruelty Act 2018, pet shop owners will have to register themselves with the state board and keep a record of sale of all pets. Any violations will lead to a fine of Rs 5,000,” added Singh.
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The other important proposal tabled at the board meeting involved hiking the rent of GMC-owned shops and making it compatible with the DM circle rates. “According to the UP government, municipalities should hike the rent by 10% annually, but there has been no hikes in the city in many years despite an extremely low rent. Former board members have debated the proposal tooth and nail but never passed it,” said a GMC official.
“On Tuesday, the board agreed to form a six-member committee comprising three councillors and three GMC officials to consider the proposal afresh. They will submit their report to the mayor within 15 days, following which, the mayor will take a call,” added the official.
GMC rents out 1,702 shops across five zones.
Meanwhile, councillor Sanjay Singh from ward 100 raised the Indirapuram handover issue at the meeting, but that sparked a ruckus. Later, Singh said, “The Indirapuram handover has been pending for many years, with hardly any attempts to resolve the issue between the GMC and the GDA. As an elected member from Indirapuram, we can see how it is stalling development work in the township.”
The GMC has set a prerequisite for the handover of the township and demanded Rs 365 crore from the GDA to complete pending works, but the GDA has shown reluctance to part with the amount.
