Shimla MC Hikes Pet Registration Fees, Causes Confusion

A previous news story regarding a hike in pet registration fees is causing confusion with pet parents and animal welfare activists in Shimla.

According to previously issued guidelines, the Shimla Municipal Corporation had decided to hike the charges for pet keeping in capital towns. In the Shimla MC monthly house, a councillor Ms. Monica Chandel raised concerns over increasing rates of dog bites and increasing levels of waste and trash in the streets.

Municipal Corporation Shimla Mayor Surendra Chauhan stated that “increasing monkey and dog bite needs to be a compulsory solution by the civic authority”. He went on to say that the fee for keeping a dog in the MC’s house would be raised from INR 500 to INR 1,000 so additional revenue may be generated to tackle these issues.

When these changes were made and publicized, pet parents and pet activists alike were confused by the provisions. Shimla’s MC has since clarified that homeless dogs that are adopted will still need to be registered as pets with Shimla’s MC but will require no registration fees.  Similarly, the MC offers an exemption from the garbage collection charges for people who have adopted homeless/stray dogs and get them registered with the MC.

Dr Vibhuti Sharda requested pet parents to get their pets registered with the Shimla MC and to “poop and scoop” to make sure the city stays clean. “We have requested MC Shimla to make the registration process easier and accessible by making online registration possible and to provide the necessary infrastructure and facilities to make “Poop and Scoop” possible and practical. SPCA and MC Shimla have been promoting the adoption of community dogs so people who are feeding and adopting them need not be worried about these changes”, she said.