MAPUSA
The Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) was forced to defer the decision to introduce tax on dogs in Mapusa after the city-fathers gave thumbs down to the proposal as the civic body had no data about the number of dogs in the municipal jurisdiction.
Although MMC Chairperson Priya Mishal and Vice-Chairperson Viraj Phadke insisted in introducing the tax, they found no takers to the plan even from the ruling group of councillors.
Rejecting the idea, Councillor Shashank Narvekar said the civic body was planning to tax dogs when it is not providing any facilities to the canines in town.
“We don’t have a dog pound nor do we have a medical unit which could provide first-aid to the dogs. There is also no designated park for dog owners to take their dogs for a walk. How can we impose tax on dogs when we don’t provide any facilities to them?” Narvekar asked and preferred to abstain from the decision.
He also said that it was futile to impose tax on dogs when the municipal council had no data on the number of dogs that existed in the municipality.
Several councillors also expressed difficulty in identifying pet dogs.
Councilor Tarak Arolkar pointed to the increasing number of street dogs in Mapusa and wanted the civic body to take some action on such dogs.
“We also need to focus on the sudden spurt in street dogs and what steps can be taken to curb the menace,” Arolkar said.
