Noida: No city for pets?

  • | Tuesday | 20th November, 2018

After a pet owner was recently asked to either leave his flat or his dog, Noida residents share similar diktats that their residential societies have placed on keeping pets . That seems to be the case in a number of residential societies in Noida. Pets are more than just furry companions for most people, for some they even become a part of the family. “Last month, we were asked to keep our pets away from the park because of Ramlila and Navaratra celebrations. Last month, my dog urinated on the stairs and the society’s sweeper refused to clean it.

After a pet owner was recently asked to either leave his flat or his dog, Noida residents share similar diktats that their residential societies have placed on keeping pets . Pets are more than just furry companions for most people, for some they even become a part of the family. Now, other than the usual responsibilities like cleaning after your pet and not mistreating them, imagine if there were stringent rules that could even lead to you losing your beloved pet. That seems to be the case in a number of residential societies in Noida. One such is the case of Abhishek Bhattacharya, a resident of Lavanya Apartments in Sector 62, who says, “I recently got a pet dog for my mother-in-law as she had been feeling lonely since my father-in-law’s death a few months ago. Last month, my dog urinated on the stairs and the society’s sweeper refused to clean it. We got into an argument and complained about it to the society’s welfare association, who discussed the matter, and on October 7, we were asked to either leave our pet or the house.” Abhishek has been looking for a new home since the incident, he said, “My pet dog, Tutu, is just a three-month-old baby . He has not even had the chance to go outside, he only stays at home, and despite this, the residents of the society have issues with him. Had we been the owners of the flat, this would not have happened. Just because we are tenants, they are doing this to us.”However, according to TK Bera, the president of the RWA of the society, there has been no such diktat from the society. He says, “Who are we to ask the tenant to leave the house? We have not passed any such orders. It is between the owners of the flat and the tenant and we do not have anything to do with this.”However, Abhishek says that the RWA is trying to cover up their initial diktat. “The owner was never in the picture when the incident occurred. The RWA members were the ones who asked us to either leave the flat or our pet. They are backtracking now,” he says.The recent incident has brought to light similar cases. Last month, Mahendra Kashyap, a senior citizen, was beaten up when he took his dog for a walk in a park in Sector 137. The Paras Tierea society resident says, “I went for a morning walk with my dog Chiku in the nearby park, and several people came and asked me to leave the park. When I refused, they got violent and started hitting me. I immediately called the police, but they fled. I filed an FIR at the Surajpur Police Station.”The incident caused Kashyap to send his pet to stay with his son. “This city is not for pets. I am an old person and I cannot live under the threat of being beaten up by people because of my dog. Now, Chiku stays with my son in Gurgaon, and I have to travel all the way there to meet him, but at least we are safe now,” he says.In some societies, residents are not allowed to take their pets in the society’s elevators. This causes an inconvenience for pet parents, since most societies have 25-30 storey-high buildings. Salil Yadav, a resident of Hyde Park in Sector 78, says, “I live on the 21st floor and whenever I take my dog in the lift, I’m asked to step out by other residents.” He says that residents are also not allowed to take their dogs for a walk in the society’s park, “We have no place to walk our dogs, we can’t take them to the society park since the residents say that the children will not be able to play. If I take him outside on the road, there is the danger of traffic. There are no official notices or rules, it’s just the attitude of the other residents that needs to change,” says Salil.Another pet owner in Gaur City in Greater Noida West says that his dog was not allowed inside the society park. “Last month, we were asked to keep our pets away from the park because of Ramlila and Navaratra celebrations. We were told that we could return after October 23. However, when I went there after that with my dog, I was stopped by the management, and they said that the entry of pets is completely banned now,” says Dr Prashant Sharma. However, the management has a different story to tell. Ashish Nirula, DGM, Gaur City, says, “The ban was only for a month, during the Navaratra celebrations. After that, no resident has been stopped from going to the park. In fact, we have also made a separate ‘poop area’ for dogs in the park.” However, Sharma says that the ban was lifted after he complained to a representative of People for Animals (PFA). He says, “Pets were allowed in the park from October 27, after I spoke to a PFA member. The management knows that this is against the law and gave in to the pressure.”Kaveri Rana, president of the Gautam Budh Nagar chapter of PFA, says that such harassment of pet owners is against the law, “No one has the right to stop a pet and its parent from going anywhere. It is against the law even after obtaining consensus or agreement from a majority of the residents of the society,” she said.But with keeping pets, comes responsibility as well, says Sanjay Mahapatra, founder of House of Stray Animals. “Owners should always remember to clean up after their pets. They should also ensure their pets are always cared for and not left alone at home as they then get aggressive. Pets should be vaccinated regularly and walked on a leash in public places, especially near children,” he said.

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