The Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government has introduced a new Bill aimed at eliminating rabies and regulating the registration of dogs.

The Bill has been published in the government gazette.

The proposed legislation seeks to regulate the vaccination of dogs, control the dog population and regulate the breeding of dogs for commercial purposes.

Under the Bill, every dog within the administrative limits of a local government authority must be vaccinated against rabies annually and registered with the relevant local authority.

Accordingly, the owner or any person who keeps a dog over six weeks of age in their custody must ensure that the dog is vaccinated against rabies and registered annually with the relevant local government authority.

Following vaccination and the issuance of a vaccination certificate, the dog must be registered with the relevant local authority upon payment of the prescribed registration fee. A registration certificate will then be issued for the dog.

The proposed legislation also provides for a fine of Rs. 2,000, in addition to the registration fee, for failure to register a dog.

Furthermore, every local government authority will be required to take measures to sterilize or castrate all stray dogs within its administrative area.

The Bill also proposes that anyone operating a dog breeding center must obtain a licence, while the sale of puppies for commercial purposes by any person without such a licence will not be permitted.