FPJ Impact: BMC's portal now allows Mumbaikars to register their pets with municipality

Mumbai: The BMC’s portal now allows Mumbaikars to register their pets with the municipality, just days after the Free Press Journal reported that the facility was unavailable.

The move comes after complaints from pet parents of an unresponsive website for license registration and renewal.

BMC’s had previously directed that it can seize pets if the owners don’t have a required license.

The BMC recently made online registration of pets mandatory. However, several pet owners across the city were left frustrated that the portal did not support the registration and renewal of pet licences.

“It is sad that the BMC can’t maintain and run an online site to register pets. The site is down and not functional for a few days, leaving pet keepers unable to register and pay the requisite fees. The authorities at the local ward office are also unable to help,” said media professional S Ramachandran, who has four pets at home.

One Twitter user also highlighted the problem, saying: “The website that registers pets is faulty.” He tagged Maharashtra Minister Aaditya Thackeray.

Responding to the complaint, Thackeray said, "We will get it checked."

Background:

In 2019, the BMC issued guidelines regarding pets to curb diseases caused by animals. The guidelines mandated giving rabies and leptospirosis vaccines to pets. The civic body started with a charge of Rs 105 for providing a pet license and levied Rs 100 for its renewal every year. The renewal rate has been hiked to Rs 700 this year.

The high number of pets abandoned during the coronavirus pandemic prompted the BMC to revise its guidelines for pet owners. According to the civic body, the provision for annual renewal of licenses ensures that pets receive their annual vaccinations regularly.

Under section 191(A) of the BMC Act, it is mandatory for pet parents to obtain a license for the purpose of placing accountability in case a pet dog is found to cause nuisance in a building society or if it bites someone.

“Owing to the rising cases of dog bites in recent years, the BMC health department has decided to get stricter with the implementation of norms. The Act has a provision that a dog can be seized if the owner fails to obtain a license or renew it every year,” explaining the need for the legal provision, a senior BMC health official had said.