Consent of 10 neighbours required to keep pet dog at home in Surat now

A no objection certificate (NOC) from at least 10 neighbours will now be required if residents of a housing society want to keep a pet dog at their home in Surat city of Gujarat, civic officials said on Friday.

In case of a multi-storey apartment building, the pet owner must submit an NOC issued by the chairperson and secretary of the residential building, said officials of the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC).

In view of some recent incidents, including a toddler's death in Ahmedabad following a pet canine's attack in May, the SMC has started issuing notices to dog owners, asking them to obtain a licence from the civic body.

So far, nearly 1,000 pet dog owners as well as residential societies have been served notices by the SMC and nearly 300 persons have already applied for obtaining licences, said SMC Market Superintendent Digvijay Ram.

''We have started this exercise in the wake of an incident in Ahmedabad where a toddler was mauled to death by a pet Rottweiler dog after it broke free from its owner's control. In Surat also, police have received complaints against dog owners and FIRs have been also lodged,'' Ram stated.

''To address this issue, we have made it mandatory for people living in the city to obtain a licence from the SMC to keep a dog at home. They need to fill up a form and submit it to us with required documents such as the dog's vaccination certificate and Aadhaar card of the owner with address proof,'' said the officer.

If the pet owner lives in a housing society, row house scheme, street or 'mohalla' (locality), he will be required to obtain an NOC from at least 10 of his neighbouring residents to prove they have no objection to the person keeping a canine at home, he maintained.

In case of a multi-storey apartment building, the pet owner must submit an NOC issued by the chairman and secretary of the residential building, Ram insisted.

''The pet owners are required to submit the form and supporting documents to the ward office of their area. Our staff will visit the house for verification. A licence will be issued after due procedure. So far, we have received 300 applications, of which, we have issued 150 licences,'' he informed.

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