Ahmedabad: In the past one month, 1,837 pet owners in the city registered 2,064 pets, indicating that some owners have multiple pets, with at least 227 animals beyond one per owner. The east-west divide was clearly visible in the registrations initiated by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) on Jan 1.
The western part of the city, which includes West, Southwest and Northwest zones, has so far registered 1,374 pets with 1,214 pet owners.
An official stated that the West Zone, which includes areas such as Law Garden, Judges Bungalow, Memnagar, Vasna, Naranpura, Motera, Usmanpura, Sola Road and Ranip, leads in the registrations.
The popular breeds among the registrants include shih-tzu, labrador, German shepherd, doberman, pug, Siberian husky, golden retriever and pomeranian among others.
The walled city area had the lowest registration, with just 54 pets registered with 53 pet owners.
A senior officer from the AMC said the digital registrations will continue till March end. The officials estimate the number of pet dogs to be around 50,000 in the city, with a majority of them in the western part.
According to AMC officials, following this registration, annual vaccination certificate submission becomes mandatory, and hence each person will need to ensure that their dog is vaccinated regularly.
The initiative is being implemented in phases. The current phase focuses on basic online registration, while the second phase will introduce licence issuance and RFID chip implantation. The AMC has allocated Rs 1.8 crore for RFID tag procurement.
Additionally, AMC is in the process of developing a mobile application to facilitate the photo upload process. Some citizens complained about facing difficulties in paying the registration fee of Rs 200.
The website does not generate a receipt, forcing owners to wait for the portal to reflect the transaction. An agressive campaign is on the cards to boost the registration process.
The corporation will issue a public notice regarding the process and carry out an awareness drive through 126 Smart City LED boards.
Additionally, teams from AMC’s cattle nuisance and control department will contact schools and colleges and conduct door-to-door surveys to facilitate pet dog registration.