Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) – under the National Action Plan for Dog-mediated Rabies Elimination (NAPRE) from India – has made registration of pet dogs mandatory in Ahmedabad from January 2025 to March-end. In this regard, AMC has started an awareness campaign from Thursday.
In Ahmedabad, which is the first city in Gujarat to make the entire process online, officials said dog owners will be able to complete the entire process, including uploading documents and fee payments, on the civic body’s website.
The proposal to implement the scheme was approved by the Standing Committee and the General Assembly of the AMC in March 2024. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), rabies is endemic in India and covers 36% of the world. Rabies Death.
According to officials, after the AMC’s jurisdiction increased and the surrounding villages were absorbed into the civic body in June 2020, the area has increased to over 503 square kilometers and now there are around 55,000 domesticated dogs and 2 lakh stray dogs within the city. limit
Giving details of the programme, Naresh Rajput, HoD of AMC’s Cattle Pest Control Department (CNCD) told The Indian Express, “With this programme, apart from the national targets of rabies eradication, we will also have a data bank and will be able to map the number of pet dogs and their vaccination status. .
There is also a plan to give pet dogs unique identification numbers.
Registration process
Registration of pet dogs in Ahmedabad city will start from January 1, 2025, when the AMC will place a link on its website. Registration will require uploading the owner’s Aadhaar card or voter ID card, tax bill, and electricity bill. Owners must also upload photos of themselves, their pet dog(s), and where the dog is kept. The registration fee is Rs 200 which can also be paid online. According to the rules, all domestic dogs must be registered within 90 days of 2025, which is the end of March.
After this date, the AMC may take action against the owner if an unregistered pet is found.
About the registration system, Rajput said, “Dog owners need not come physically. It can be done online. The process will be online from January 1, 2025. The link will be placed on the AMC website. Registration facility will also be made available at all civic centers in the city.”
90% of stray dogs achieved sterilization
Regarding the sterilization of stray dogs in Ahmedabad city, the official said that under the five-year plan, the civic body has achieved about 90% sterilization. Rajput said, “We will see the impact of this program in the next 5-7 years. We are seeing rare instances of dogs on the streets of Ahmedabad. We are now focusing more on the new areas that have come under AMC jurisdiction. “
6,500 dog bites per month in Ahmedabad
The number of reported dog bites in Ahmedabad city has increased over the past few years, from about 6,000 to 6,500 per month, Rajput said. However, he says that the urban area may expand due to some of this. He said that the aggression of stray dogs is mostly seen in summer and winter. There is no disaggregation of data for bites from pets and stray dogs.
The menace of stray dogs sparked public outrage in Ahmedabad in October 2023 following the untimely death of Parag Desai, scion of the Wagh Bakri tea group.
Desai succumbed to severe head injuries while trying to escape from a group of stray dogs outside his house in Bopal-Ambli area of Ahmedabad.
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