A bitter battle between pet-owners and others in Mumbai
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It is pet-owners versus other residents in several housing complexes in Mumbai as several cases of bitter feud between these two distinct groups are coming to the fore with each passing day in the commercial capital city of the country Mumbai.
Most of these quarrels between the pet-haves and the pet have-nots involve the indiscriminate use of the common and open spaces in the housing complexes by the pet owners, who inadvertently or otherwise allow the pets to urinate and defecate in the open spaces earmarked for common purposes like parking vehicles and playing for children.
Though the residents of a large number of housing complexes are waging a silent war on the issue, some cases get the media attention, mainly due to the status of the people involved in the issue. It is not that all the cases are involving the common people only. There are cases in which VIPs are also involved. It is still in Mumbai's memory when the residents of his housing society took cudgels against famous cricker Vinod Kambli for the same reasons.
A more recent case in point is a bitter battle between dog owners and the management of a plush residential housing society at Kandivli, a bustling suburb in Mumbai. The bone of contention is that of hygiene and poop with the managing committee of Viceroy Park Housing Complex issuing circulars asking pet owners to restrict the movement of their dogs. The circular said that pets will not be allowed to sit, walk or play on the complex’s public premises such as the podium, walking track, tennis court and the basement. But the circular also asks owners to ensure that their pets are properly leashed and muzzled to avoid mishaps — a move that has raised the hackles of all animal lovers in the complex.
Viceroy Park Housing Society has over 250 residents living in four towers that overlook the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. Many are pet owners who claim this circular is unreasonable, and violates the freedom of movement their pets are entitled to. Even maids have been banned from sitting at the entrance of the buildings with pets.
While the pet owners argue that the circular goes against the basic right of freedom of movement as the dogs are part of our family and treat them like their children, the management says that the pet-owners rarely clean up after their pets. Residents says that the hygiene issue has become a nuisance, one that has been plaguing the society for years. ‘The dogs even dirty the lifts. We do not wish to ban dogs, but regulate them. They should not urinate or poop inside or outside the building. If they do, pet owners should clean it up. The circular was issued to keep the society’s premise clean, they say.
It is true that for the pet owners, pets are like their children. But, the pertinent question is, whether they will allow their children to urinate in the open space meant for common purposes.
All said and done. But, Love for the animals is good, but it should not be at the cost of others who do not like them. If one has the right to love the pets, the other one has every right to dislike them.
