------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Documented by Goa Desc Resource Centre Ph:2252660 Website: www.goadesc.org Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Press Clippings on the web: http://www.goadesc.org/mem/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------- Dog owners warned over 'wild' pets ----------------------------------------------- Dog owners beware! If your dog has turned dangerous or unruly, causing nuisance to the neighbourhood, ensure it is tamed immediately or else run the risk of the canine being taken away by the authorities.
In an unprecedented order, the Sub-divisional Magistrate, Margao, Dipak Dessai has ordered a resident of Belloi-Nuvem to hand over his "unruly" dogs to the Animal Husbandry department or the Goa Animal Welfare Trust or simply remove the dogs from the locality by any other means within 7 days. The police would then step in the event the order is not complied with.
In this case, the Maina Curtorim police had lodged a complaint stating that one Punit Prasad Jain owns and possesses eight alleged dangerous dogs of hybrid varieties, without obtaining the licence from any authority. The police alleged that all these dogs are ferocious/ dangerous and that the owner has no control over them, resulting in dog bites to the neighbours, passer-byes and children. Besides, the police alleged that the dogs have the habit of howling in a loud and frightful manner every night, disturbing peace and tranquillity in the area.
In his reply, Jain termed the police report as false, mischievous and malicious. He denied that the dogs are causing any noise or that they disturb the peace in the neighbourhood and that they are ferocious.
In his order issued under section 133 of the CrPC, the SDB maintained that the dogs belonging to Jain have created a terror in the vicinity thus endangering the life of the people.
"The physical comfort of the residents in the vicinity of Jain's house has also been disturbed as fear has gripped the people from using the road in front of his house", Dessai said.
"No doubt, dogs are domestic animals, but at times, they can be ferocious which can be perilious to the life of common man", he said, adding that every person in a civilised society enjoys a constitutional right to his life and liberty and that it's the duty of the state to protect the rights.
"Merely because the owner is a professional dog trainer as stated by a witness, it doesn't empower him to play with the lives of a dozen people, when he has no control over them", he said.
The SDM further observed that had the owner been cautious and diligent, then no person would have ever suffered injuries of serious nature as has been with one person, and added that the entire evidence goes to prove beyond doubt that the dogs of the respondent are dangerous in nature which are detrimental to the life of the inhabitants in the locality. ----------------------------------- HERALD 3/4/04 page 1 -----------------------------------
======================================= GOA DESC RESOURCE CENTRE Documentation + Education + Solidarity 11 Liberty Apts., Feira Alta, Mapusa, Goa 403 507 Tel: 2252660 mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] website: www.goadesc.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Working On Issues Of Development & Democracy =======================================
##########################################################################
# Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts #
# More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others #
##########################################################################
