Rajinder S Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, July 1

A Rottweiler attacked a woman and her dog in Sector 25, Panchkula, following which the woman’s husband lodged a complaint against the unregistered Rottweiler and its owner with the Panchkula Municipal Corporation.

Acting on the complaint, the MC has issued a notice to the owner of the Rottweiler.

MC Commissioner Rajesh Jogpal said the notice was issued to the owner of the Rottweiler under Section 311 (4) a and 5 (a) of the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act, 1994, as the dog was unregistered. The notice reads, “It has been brought to my notice that your dog, a Rottweiler, is freely roaming around, causing harm and injuring the public at large. Your dog is not registered under Section 311 of the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act, 1994”.

The MC has sought a reply from the owner within three days.

According to the MC Commissioner, under the Act, if the owner of the dog knows that the dog is likely to intimidate any person, the dog can be detained.

The complainant, Puneeet Aneja, a resident of Sector 25, said he, along with his wife, was roaming along with their pet on June 29 evening when the Rottweiler attacked his pet. Due to the attack, his wife also fell and sustained injuries on her hand and leg. The next day, they lodged a complaint with the MC against the dog owner, he said.

Dog ultrasonic repellents

The MC Commissioner has purchased 10 dog ultrasonic repellents on a trial basis by spending money from his own pocket. Two of these were given to the public, including one to the person who submitted a complaint against the Rottweiler. MC Commissioner Rajesh Jogpal said they would explore the possibility of using these repellents in public places.

Dog registration this year

In the current financial year (2018-19), only 100 owners have come forward for the registration of their pets with the Panchkula MC. Last year, the figure was 357. According to a recent survey, there are 1,750 pets in Panchkula.

1,300 notices issued so far

The MC has issued around 1,300 notices to owners who have not registered their pets with the MC. MC Commissioner Rajesh Jogpal said they would again conduct a survey as a number of owners had not given information about their pets to the MC. In the Rottweiler attack case, the MC had no record of the owner having a pet, he said.