BENGALURU: The Compassion Unlimited Plus Action (CUPA) moved the Karnataka High Court seeking directions to the commissioner of Bruhat Bengluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to implement the circular issued by the state government mandating pet owners to carry biodegradable poop bags in public parks.
Hearing Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by CUPA, a division bench of Acting Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sachin Shankar Magadum issued notice to the secretary, department of horticulture and commissioner of BBMP.
On August 24, 2020, the state had issued a circular to Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) and Apartment Owners Associations, pet owners and animal lovers who feed stray dogs for the Protection of Pet and Stray Animals.
The circular makes it clear that pet owners must ensure that their pet is always on leash when outside the house and always clean up after the pet if it defecates on lawns, outside someone’s home, on a public street/park.
Seeking directions to the BBMP commissioner to permit access to pets in all public parks, as long as pet owners leash their dogs and carry biodegradable poop bags with them, the petitioner also prayed the court to issue directions to enforce provisions of SWM Bye Laws, 2020.