India News | Lucknow Municipal Corporation Launches Campaign Against Unlicensed Dog Walkers in Indira Nagar; Fines Issued

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], November 22 (ANI): The Lucknow Municipal Corporation on Saturday launched a campaign against unlicensed dog walkers in several areas of Indira Nagar. The initiative, carried out under Zone 7, aims to boost public awareness about pet safety rules rather than penalise residents, an official said.

Rajesh Upadhyay, Revenue Inspector (RI) of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation, explained that the campaign was undertaken on November 22, 2025, under the directions of the Municipal Commissioner and the department's head, Animal Welfare Officer.

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"Our goal in this campaign is not to catch stray dogs or those walking without licenses or vaccinations, nor to collect revenue. Our main objective is to raise awareness among the public and encourage them to get their pets vaccinated on time," Upadhyay said to ANI.

Upadhyay urged pet owners to follow municipal guidelines to ensure community safety. "For your own safety and the safety of the public, obtain licenses and avoid fine receipts," he said.

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During the campaign, officials fined two individuals found walking dogs without valid licenses. Others attempted to evade the checks. "Some others fled the scene today, and some argued and refused to comply," Upadhyay said.

Meanwhile, in compliance with a recent Supreme Court directive, the Chhattisgarh Education Department on Saturday appointed nodal officers to report incidents involving stray dogs and cattle near school premises.

State Education Minister Gajendra Yadav said the education department issued an order on Friday to ensure continuous monitoring of stray animals entering or roaming around schools.

"Yesterday, our department issued an order in accordance with the Supreme Court's directive. We were instructed to constantly monitor any stray animals, whether dogs or cattle, within or entering the school premises," Yadav said to ANI.

Yadav highlighted a recent incident that accelerated the decision. "An incident occurred a few days ago at a school in our Baroda Bazar district, where a dog spoiled the food that was being prepared for midday meals. This cost us approximately Rs 22 lakh," he said.

To prevent this, Yadav said, "We monitor the number of dogs on campus and inform the Municipal Corporation and Gram Panchayat, urging them to find and implement a solution for their removal."

Addressing concerns that teachers were being burdened with additional duties, the minister clarified that no educator has been assigned to specifically monitor dogs. "There is no need to be misguided. We have not assigned any teacher to monitor the dogs. However, it should be a teacher's job to monitor who's coming and going in their school," Yadav said.

Earlier, the Supreme Court, while taking into consideration the "alarming rise of dog bite incidents", ordered all states and Union Territories (UTs) on November 7 to ensure the removal of all stray dogs from every educational institution, hospital, public sports complexes, bus stands, railway stations, etc.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and NV Anjaria stated that all these institutions and places must be properly fenced to prevent the entry of stray dogs.

The stray dogs should not be released to the same spot from which they were picked up, the bench ordered. It also said that permitting their return would "frustrate the very purpose" of securing such premises and addressing public safety concerns. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)