PIL filed against BBMP's move to licence pets

BENGALURU: A resident of Sadashivanagar has moved the High Court over BBMP's move over enforcing pet licencing. The petitioner, Indira Gopalkrishna, has filed the PIL seeking directions to quash the notification with regard to pet licencing in question. According to the notification, only one approved dog can be reared in a flat, while an independent house cannot have more than three dogs as pets.

The new pet licencing also mandates owners to get a licence consisting of a radio collar with an embedded chip. A pet parent will have to pay a fine of Rs 1,000, if the dog has no licence, the petition states. The PIL contends that pet owners with more than one dog in case of an apartment and more than three dogs in an independent dwelling will be forced to abandon their dogs on the street in order to follow Palike's new rule.

It also provides a list of breeds that are approved for residential flats. "The list is arbitrary and is copied from a list meant for another country. Certain breeds mentioned in the list are not available in India which paints a picture that the BBMP is trying to promote certain breeds of dogs to benefit certain illegal breeders," petition alleged, adding that the list has neglected the most common breeds of dogs, which are kept in common households like Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds and several native Indian dogs. Further, the petition also states that the notification will promote auction of dogs which will be a boon to illegal breeders who can purchase the dogs and exploit them for profit.