BENGALURU: The government has proposed a ban on pet dogs inside Cubbon Park following repeated complaints from walkers and joggers over the past six months. Banners will be installed at the gates from July 1 and based on the response, a formal decision will be taken later, reports Niranjan Kaggere. Pet parents and lovers are fuming.
As security personnel at the gates began informing people about the proposed ban, pet parents launched a campaign appealing to the horticulture department not to punish all for the fault of a few. The petition 'No Pet Ban in Cubbon Park - For Dogs Sake' on Change.org has already garnered the support of more than 1,500 pet lovers.
Govt proposes ban on pet dogs inCubbon Park after 300 complaints
Witnessing frequent violations of guidelines on pets in parks and gardens, the government has proposed a ban on pet dogs inside Cubbon Park (Sri Chamarajendra Park). Banners will be installed at the gates from July 1 and based on the response, a formal decision will be taken later.
Based on over 300 complaints received from walkers and joggers over five to six months, a high-level committee comprising top officials of various departments decided to enforce the ban as per provisions of Parks and Public Places Guidelines and Rules. Pets are already not allowed in Lalbagh Botanical Gardens.
Senior officials from the horticulture department told STOI that the deputy director of horticulture (Cubbon Park) has been instructed to put up posters at all the entrances about the proposed ban on dogs. Accordingly, all security personnel have been telling pet parents that animals will not be permitted inside come July 1.
The sudden decision by the government has left hundreds of pet parents and pet lovers worried. They have collectively launched an online petition appealing to the government (horticulture department) not to ban dogs in Cubbon Park.
Horticulture officials revealed that the subject came up for discussion during a meeting of Suvarna Karnataka Samithi - a high-level committee of senior government officials, including principal secretary of horticulture department, chief commissioner of BBMP, police commissioner and several others.
"Based on hundreds of complaints from walkers and joggers about the problems created by pet animals and pet parents in Cubbon Park, the committee resolved to enforce a ban on pets but decided to first create awareness. As part of that, posters and banners about the proposed ban will be put up from July 1 and depending on the feedback, a formal decision will be taken later by the panel," explained M Jagadeesh, joint director (parks and gardens), horticulture department.
HT Balakrishna, deputy director of horticulture (Cubbon Park), said, "Despite the guidelines and awareness created by our staffers, most pet parents are ignorant of the rules. Many unleash their dogs without muzzling them inside the park area, triggering panic among other walkers and joggers. Some pet parents do not even scoop the poop and dispose it of into bins. We have installed about 30 boards explaining the dos and don'ts, but many violate them."
Department officials say many complainants pointed out that poop in the lawn area makes it impossible for visitors to sit there. "A few said dog poop contains tapeworms and stepping on it will lead to infection. More than 70 per cent of the walkers favoured the ban and submitted complaints to the committee. While guidelines allow penalties for errant pet parents, we do not have the enforcement power to punish them," Balakrishna explained.
