(BMC) faces a major administrative setback as official records show only 256 pet dogs and 63 cats registered across the entire city, despite a massive domestic animal population. This dismal figure highlights widespread non-compliance by citizens and a lack of systematic enforcement by local authorities. Thousands of domestic animals, including aggressive and exotic foreign breeds, are being reared without official documentation across both high-profile VIP enclaves and ordinary residential areas, leaving the city with no valid public records of its urban pet footprint. Under the Madhya Pradesh Municipal Corporation Rules 2023, pet registration is legally mandatory for all domestic animals kept within urban boundaries. The municipal framework dictates that a resident must register any new pet within seven days of bringing it home, either through the official municipal portal or at a designated administrative office. However, three years after the enactment of these strict guidelines, the municipal body has failed to execute them on the ground, leaving registration numbers restricted to nominal double and triple digits. Local residents and animal welfare advocates point out that the lengthy paperwork and complicated verification procedures actively discourage pet owners from completing the registration process.

 

According to the guidelines, owners must submit their Aadhaar card, a passport-sized photograph of the pet, an updated vaccination card, a joint photograph of the owner with the animal, and an infectious disease-free certificate issued by a registered veterinarian, alongside the official payment receipt. This complex bureaucracy, combined with a total lack of public awareness campaigns, has severely dampened public interest in compliance. Unenforced legal provisions mandate heavy fines: Despite widespread public negligence, the municipal code prescribes extraordinarily strict punitive measures for non-compliance. If a pet owner fails to register their animal within the stipulated timeframe, the civic body is empowered to levy a penalty equivalent to ten times the annual registration fee. The regulations also provide for registering police cases and seeking jail terms for repeat offenders who endanger neighbourhood safety, though the municipal administration is yet to penalise a single defaulter since the rules were first drafted. Under the current fee model established by the municipal corporation, registering a pet dog costs a nominal annual fee of Rs 150, with renewals priced at just Rs 50. Similarly, the annual registration for cattle, including cows and bulls, is set at Rs 200 with a Rs 100 renewal rate, while other small pets are registered for Rs 50. Despite these nominal rates, owners continue to evade the system due to a total lack of physical inspections and ground-level monitoring by civic enforcement wings.