In view of the increasing number of dog bite incidents in the national Capital, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) urged Delhiites to get their pet dogs registered with it.

According to a senior official of the Veterinary Department, MCD, under Section 399 of Delhi Municipal Act 1957, it is mandatory to register all pet dogs with the municipal corporation.

“The Section also gives power to the MCD to detain a dog found in a public place, if a pet dog is not registered with the civic body. There is also a provision of fining the pet owner and even prosecution,” a senior municipal official said.

“The Delhi Municipal Corporation Act mandates registration of pet dogs with civic body, but residents have remained reluctant to come forward to get their pets registered. We appeal to citizens to get their pet dogs registered at the earliest, otherwise appropriate action can be taken as per the DMC Act.

The rule applies even to those who have adopted stray dogs as pets,” he said. While informing about the importance of registration of pet dogs, he said that the registration process helps in maintaining the exact count of pet dogs that are rabies virus vaccinated in different zones.

“It will also help in tracing a missing pet with the help of a registration number that the dog will sport on its collar.

The purpose of the exercise is to prepare a database of pet dog owners, control illegal practices like unregistered dog breeding, and monitor pet’s vaccination schedules,” he stated. “In order to facilitate the pet owners in the Capital, the municipal corporation is providing convenient and hassle-free online facility for dog registration,” he said.

 “Through an online system, an applicant can register for a dog licence by providing the relevant details in the application form available on the civic body official portal mcdonline.nic.in.

The documents that needed to be submitted are anti-rabies vaccination certificate, a photograph of the animal, residence proof and identity proof of the owner,” official further stated.

Earlier, multiple incidents of attacks by pets have been reported in neighboring cities, Noida, Gurugram and Ghaziabad. A video went viral recently, showing a pet dog attacking a minor boy inside a lift of a residential society in Ghaziabad. In another incident from Ghaziabad, a teenage boy was attacked by a dog leaving him with multiple stitches.

Another video shows a food delivery agent being attacked by a dog while coming out of a lift.