BBMP to Draw Up New Draft of Pet-Licensing Bylaw

Bengaluru: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has announced a decision to prepare a new draft of the pet-licensing bylaws to be used in place of the existing ones from 2021.

Animal rights activists had taken exception to the bylaw, which proposed different licensing fees which depended on factors issued by private organizations. They also took exception to the cap on the number of pets allowed per household and the guidelines detailing which dog breeds could and could not be raised in apartments. According to Palike officials, the 2021 draft was submitted to the government two years ago; joint director of BBMP’s animal husbandry department, KP Ravi Kumar, said the government has not approved it.

“We need to simplify some conditions mentioned in the draft. So, we have decided to draft a new bylaw, simplifying it in favour of pet parents. We will prepare it soon and submit it to the government for approval,” said KP Ravi Kumar.

Arun Prasad, an animal rights activist, said the previous draft of the bylaw submitted for approval is illegal, arguing that certain sections of the draft were not valid under the existing laws. “BBMP is wasting the government’s time. It should withdraw the earlier draft immediately and prepare a new one,” he said.

Prasad explained that the submitted draft stated that licensing fees for dogs would vary depending on the category of dog as classified by the Kennel Club of India. He also said that the government should not draw reference from private organizations, and instead look to statutory bodies for the same. The statutory body in this case would be the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI).

He continued by saying the AWBI does not restrict the number of pet dogs a family is allowed, but the BBMP’s draft restricted the number to 3. Even though behaviour-specific classification does not exist, the draft labelled the breeds German shepherd, rottweiler, and hound as ferocious dogs and prohibited tenants from raising them in flats. He urged the Palike to change these clauses in the new bylaw for a positive change.