PMC Advises Caution after Pet License Scam Emerges in Pune

Pune: With the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) mandates going into effect, a worrying trend has emerged wherein unauthorized personnel are using the registration process for their benefit.

According to the official procedure, a pet parent must apply for registration online, have their pet inspected by a civic official, pay a fee of INR 500, and obtain the license within three weeks. However, pet parents are apprehensive of the process after reports emerged of unauthorized personnel misusing this systems

A pet parent named Rahul Wautre applied for an H-11 license for his pet on June 6 online. He then found himself waiting for two months with no license, despite the process itself being simplified. He then received a call from an agent known as Rashid Khan. Khan offered to speed the process up for a fee, initially asking for INR 3,000 before reducing it to INR 2,000 upon learning that Rahul had already applied for a license. Khan claimed that the fee was to ensure that officials cooperate.

Another pet parent who wished to remain anonymous shared a similar story. After applying online for registration and paying the necessary fee, they had to wait for nearly two months. They criticized the efficiency of the online system and described their various visits to the PMC process to speed the process up.

Dr Sarika Funde, the chief veterinary officer of the PMC, has called for pt parents to maintain vigilance and to report any instances of an additional/extra fee being levied along with the registration fee. She said the PMC has not authorized any agents or middlemen for the pet licensing process and clarified that the official fee for a ten-year license is INR 500. A license is said to take between 21-25 days to issue, accounting for delays caused by the inspection process.

Dr Funde reiterated the PMC’s commitment towards reprimanding those posing as Municipal officials and trying to exploit or extort pet parents. The PMC is set to review its online procedure and take steps to ease the process further. In the meantime, pet parents are requested to remain alert, vigilant, cautious, and to report any instances of suspicious or fraudulent activity to the PMC authority.