GCCs microchipping drive ends; only 54 per cent of registered pets issued licence
CHENNAI: Out of the 1.05 lakh pets registered on the civic bodys portal, only 57,626 have so far been issued licences as the final day of the Greater Chennai Corporations special microchipping and anti-rabies vaccination drive for pet dogs to obtain pet license ended on Sunday. The city corporation will begin imposing fines on violators from Monday, said GCC veterinary officer J Kamal Hussain. Pet owners who take their dogs into public spaces without a leash will be fined Rs 500, while those who fail to obtain licences for their pet dogs or cats will face a penalty of Rs 5,000. Enforcement will be carried out by two veterinary personnel deployed in each of the 15 zones across the city. The team has been equipped with microchip scanners to verify pet registration and point-of-sale (PoS) machines to collect fines on the spot. During inspection on city roads, they will check for violators among pet owners who take their dogs out in public. Registration details will be verified by scanning the implanted microchips. The official also confirmed to TNIE that the civic body will initiate door-to-door enumeration of pet dogs in parallel across the city. Antony Rubin, an animal activist and member of the state board for wildlife, said the cut-off date was necessary for regularisation and ending the deadline on December 14 was reasonable. However, he added that extending the deadline till December 31 would be beneficial given the surge in demand for microchipping and anti-rabies vaccination to obtain pet license, especially with the fines being announced. With increased demand, some private clinics are charging up to Rs 3,000 per pet. Though the GCC is providing these services free of cost at its pet clinics, many owners were unable to access them due to overcrowding. The deadline pressure has led to inflated prices and forced pet owners to spend more. A further extension would ease the situation, he said. Speaking to TNIE , the GCC veterinary official said that the civic body had already extended the deadline for pet licensing twice from November 23 to December 7, and further to December 14. It has also conducted special camps for anti-rabies vaccination and microchipping at 15 locations across the city for the last three days. Since Friday, veterinary doctors have also been sending text messages and making phone calls to registered pet owners who have yet to comply, urging them to bring their pets for the procedure for licences. Even on the last day of drive, there continues to be a lag in compliance, the official added.
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