Bengaluru: What was a garbage dump until Saturday has been transformed into a pooch friendly park, thanks to the efforts of the Ugly Indian and the pet lover community of Domlur and Indiranagar. The park has been named Domlur Dog Park and is located opposite to the CPWD Housing Colony near HAL Airport Road.
“Dog lovers can bring their pets along and enjoy the evening breeze with their pets without any restraint. As most BBMP parks in the city don’t allow pets inside, this move has been welcomed by the residents of Domlur and nearby areas,” said Deepten Sarkar, a resident of the area.
“I have a one-year-old super energetic German Shepherd. It’s next to impossible to walk him along the road with vehicles passing by. When we take our dogs to a regular park, we are often told to leave as it is against park rules. So something like this is a solace to all of us,” Sarkar added.
The 6,000 square feet of land that belongs to the BBMP was fallow for the last five years and become an illegal dumping ground, said Lakshminarayan, the local corporator.
“Since the land wasn’t being put to use, it was a very good idea by the residents to convert it. The community is large and parks like these are few, it was essential for us to support it,” he said.
“The only green strip in the city that could be converted into a park is in Domlur,” said a resident of the area, who spearheaded the process on condition of anonymity.
“There are plenty of parks for humans, but none for dogs in the city. Even Cubbon park only allows dogs over the weekend and that too in a restricted area. We wanted to give dog parents a space where they could run free. Before we made the park, the stench was unbearable and it took two days and four truck loads to clear the rotting garbage. I combed through the area for broken glass pieces and we got mud to even out the bumpy land. It is now open to all,” the resident added.
“The maintenance of the Park is being done by the pet parents,” says a volunteer from The Ugly Indian.
The spot-fixers have dug out a corner in the park which will be used to compost the excreta left by the furry visitors.
“It’s called the 'poop pit' and all dog owners scoop the poop and put it there. The pit is 'managed' - with mud added to it to avoid any foul smell and it will also create good manure for the park.
Bengaluru's dog owners are extremely conscientious about the environment and about doing the right thing,” he said. Over a 100 volunteers took part in the spotfix.
