Will people of Bengaluru learn to clean up after their pets after the High Court’s directions? Premium

The directions were issued by the court while disposing of a PIL petition, filed in 2021, by Compassion Unlimited Plus Action, an NGO, seeking directions to authorities to effectively implement Solid Waste Management (SWM) laws and mandating pet owners to carry biodegradable poop bags in parks, etc. The Bench issued directions as the government and the BBMP told the court that pet owners do not follow the guidelines due to which the public outrage for allowing pet dogs in parks, including Cubbon Park and Lalbagh, is high. 

“While pet owners have the liberty to take their dogs to the parks, the other sections of society who visit the parks have a right to enjoy a clean environment,” the High Court of Karnataka recently observed, while directing the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to amend its bylaw to impose higher penalty on dog owners who breach norms in treating and cleaning the excrement of their pets in public parks and precincts across the city.

The direction by the High Court has been taken well by many pet owners, walkers and resident welfare associations. However, they seek strict implementation of penalties in the parks, and as a step forward, rules for pet owners that are applicable beyond parks too.

The directions were issued by the court while disposing of a PIL petition, filed in 2021, by Compassion Unlimited Plus Action, an NGO, seeking directions to authorities to effectively implement Solid Waste Management (SWM) laws and mandating pet owners to carry biodegradable poop bags in parks, etc. The Bench issued directions as the government and the BBMP told the court that pet owners do not follow the guidelines due to which the public outrage for allowing pet dogs in parks, including Cubbon Park and Lalbagh, is high. 

“The luxury of owning dogs may be enjoyed only by strictly observing the guidelines statutorily provided regarding cleanliness and hygiene,” the Bench observed. 

But how soon can the citizens of Bengaluru see action on this front?

Speaking to The Hindu, Suralkar Vikas Kishor, Special Commissioner of BBMP’s Animal Husbandry Department, says that guidelines were issued months ago. “We issued a guideline to pet owners, resident welfare associations (RWAs), and dog feeders in July. We issued the guideline as there were many quarrels breaking out at the RWAs level and in parks. In order to clarify what the BBMP’s stand is and what everyone must follow, we issued these guidelines. The authorities taking care of parks, or RWAs at societies and apartments can use the guidelines as a base, have their own fine structure and act as per the guidelines.” he said.  

“The High Court has asked us to mandate it now, and we will work on it. The orders will be implemented on similar lines to our previous guidelines. However, at the BBMP’s Animal Husbandry Department we have got a very limited number of people. Implementation on the ground will be challenging for us, but we will make sure the guidelines act as deterrence,” Kishor added.