Soon, ₹500 fine for people who don’t clean up their dogs’ poop from roads

SDMC CLEARED A PLAN FOR AN ONTHESPOT FINE FOR PEOPLE WHO DO NOT CLEAN UP THEIR DOG’S FAECES

NEW DELHI: Residents of south Delhi who do not clean up after their dogs on streets and public spaces will soon have to pay fines of Rs 500.

On Friday, officials said the South Delhi Municipal Corporation approved the proposal to issue an on-the-spot fine of Rs 500 for people who do not clean up their dog’s faeces.

“The owners of pets walk them late in the evenings or early mornings and make a mess on roads, parks, footpaths leaving them filthy. This practice has to stop because people in no other country practice such things,” said Nandini Sharma, deputy chairman, standing committee, SDMC.

“Moreover, the practice increases the health risks for other people living in neighbourhood as well as the pedestrians. So it would be better if the owners clean up on mess on their own,” said Sharma who moved the proposal. The civic agency will soon issue directions to the department of environment management services to form and implement the policy by the end of next month.

“The sanitation staff, including sanitation inspector or assistant inspector, will be given the authority to issue challans. We will face resistance in the beginning, but we are prepared for that,” said Kamaljeet Sehrawat, SDMC mayor. “We will also act on the complaints received from residents or RWAS provided they upload the photographs on SDMC website and give sufficient information,” she said.

The RWAS, however, said that civic agency should first give warning to defaulters. “The concept is good. But it is important that the authority should make enough arrangements before implementing norms such as developing dog parks, pooppoints ,” Chitra Jain, member of New Friends Colony RWA.

Animal rights’ activist Rishi Dev, however, said that it is important to ensure that norms are not misused. “There are people who have adopted strays. And they can’t follow them everywhere to figure out where these dogs go. This order can’t be implemented on semi-stray dogs. Also, it has to be ensured that civic officials don’t harass such people.”

“We raised similar apprehension when SDMC came out with online registration policy of pet dogs after paying fees of Rs 500. We took it in writing from veterinary officials that the norm doesn’t apply to semi-stray dogs,” said Dev.