Ahmedabad: Even a year after pet dog registration was made mandatory in the city, the Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has failed to achieve the expected results. Despite multiple deadline extensions and a phased increase in registration fees, compliance among pet owners remains low.

In response, AMC officials have begun drafting a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to penalise owners who have not registered their pets. According to preliminary discussions, fines may start at ₹20,000, while repeat violations could attract penalties of up to ₹50,000. In cases of continued non-compliance, the civic body may also initiate police complaints.

During a recent review meeting chaired by Municipal Commissioner Banchha Nidhi Pani, it was revealed that although the city has an estimated 50,000 pet dogs, only around 18,000 have been registered so far.

Expressing dissatisfaction over the poor registration turnout, the commissioner directed concerned departments to prepare a detailed SOP outlining strict enforcement measures.

Zone-wise data shows that the West Zone recorded the highest number of registrations at 4,785, followed by the North West Zone with 3,897, East Zone with 2,773, South West Zone with 2,510, South Zone with 2,300, North Zone with 1,946, and Central Zone with only 751 registrations.

The pet registration drive was launched as part of the national objective to make urban areas rabies-free. The AMC had also aimed to create an official database of pet dogs and ensure timely administration of annual vaccinations. DehsGujarat