Accountability matters: GCC portal gets more teeth to track your pet dogs

CHENNAI: The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) is all set to launch a revamped portal this week to register and track pet dogs across the city. The initiative will be formally inaugurated by Mayor R Priya, who will also flag off a citywide microchipping drive.

The project is designed to curb pet abandonment and strengthen accountability among dog owners. According to GCC officials, owners will be required to provide vaccination certificates, identification marks, and address details before registering their pets. Each dog will then be microchipped to maintain vaccination records and aid tracking.

At a council meeting on Monday, AIADMK councillor KR Kathir Murugan questioned the public benefit of the initiative. Responding, Commissioner J Kumaragurubaran explained that the council had earlier approved the project and a contractor had been appointed. “Now the portal is ready, and the Mayor will launch it soon,” he said.

Officials highlighted that cases of residents abandoning their dogs within months of adoption had contributed to a growing stray population. Microchipping, they said, would discourage such practices while ensuring proper vaccination compliance.

Speaking to DT Next, Mayor Priya said, “We are beginning the microchipping of pet dogs. Foreign breeds are becoming increasingly aggressive, sometimes biting other dogs and even residents. To control population and behaviour, Animal Birth Control (ABC) surgeries are under way at all ABC centres.”

She added that sterilisation work is being accelerated across nine zones and is expected to be completed by the end of December. Together with microchipping, the GCC hopes to improve pet ownership responsibility and strengthen animal management in the city.