Charges rise from ₹200 to ₹1,000; set to touch ₹2,000 by October
Pet lovers in Ahmedabad are voicing strong objections to the steep rise in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s (AMC) pet registration fee, which has increased fivefold in recent months and is set to go up tenfold by October.Originally introduced at ₹200, the fee was raised to ₹500 from June 1, then ₹1,000 from August 1, and is slated to become ₹2,000 between October and December.
While AMC says the funds will be used for pet welfare—such as vaccination drives, competitions, pet health check-ups, and even dedicated funeral spaces—owners argue the hike is unjustified.Dr. Hiren Thakkar, founder of Sneh Pet, called the rise unreasonable: “The fee has gone from ₹200 to ₹1,000 and now ₹2,000. What are pet parents getting in return for this money?” He also questioned why AMC has not demonstrated effective use of the funds so far.Nitin Goswami, secretary of the Ahmedabad Canine Club, said that while pet registration helps control rabies, excessively high fees discourage owners from registering their pets.
“If AMC wants better data on pets, it must keep the fee moderate,” he said.According to AMC, 18,353 dogs have been registered so far, with most registrations (11,032) happening in May when the fee was only ₹200.
Currently, just 4–5 registrations are happening per day.Meanwhile, concerns persist over AMC’s sterilisation programme. Despite spending ₹12.7 crore over five years on vaccination and castration of stray dogs, the city still has an estimated 2.1 lakh stray dog population.
Experts argue sterilisation rates must be doubled to make an impact.In 2025 alone, Ahmedabad recorded 46,781 animal bite cases, of which 43,713 were dog bites, underlining the urgency of effective animal management policies.