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Noida residents welcome pet registration app

By Hindustan Times

Residents have welcomed the pet registration app launched on Wednesday by the Noida authority, saying that the digital service is a good step towards raising awareness among owners.

The Noida Federation of Apartment Owners Associations (NOFAA), an umbrella body of over 70 high-rise societies in the city, said that the mobile application will promote responsibility among the pet owners and could lead to better coordination between them and the administration.

“Now, we will have some data on hand regarding the number of pets in the city. Apart from making a pet friendly environment, the app may also help deal with abandonment issues,” said Rajiva Singh, president, NOFAA.

Col (retd) IP Singh, chairman of Arun Vihar RWA, said, “The idea is very good as at least there would be a record of pets in the city. However, there is a need to ensure that the pet owners understand their responsibilities. Many owners use public area as their dogs’ poop area, and such instances lead to conflicts.”

Meanwhile, Noida authority officials have urged people to register their pets (dogs and cats), along with their photographs and rabies vaccination documents, through the ‘Noida pet registration’ app for a fee of ₹500 per annum.

According to the officials, the registration of pets would help keep a record of the pets in the city and could lead to better resolution of common conflicts between pet owners and their neighbours.

“A number of times we receive complaints from the residents against pet owners. With the registration data in hand, it would be easier to resolve such issues. We are planning to give a grace period of six months, after which we may impose penalty on the owners who fail to register their pets,” said SC Mishra, senior project engineer, Noida authority.

Animal activists said while this is a positive step, more needs to be done to deal with issues arising out of pets.

“It is good that they are encouraging people to register their pets which is a responsible step. However, more is required to be done to make the programme effective, like installing microchips in the bodies of pets to reduce the abandonment issues. Also, there should be more benefits for the pet owners such as random check-ups, else it’s just a revenue generating exercise,” said Sampriti, a Noida-based animal activist.

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