Dog lovers on social media called the regulation "regressive" and "laughable" (Representational)
Days after proposing a set of new rules for licensing of pet dogs, the Bengaluru civic body was reportedly forced to backtrack following a huge uproar on social media. Among other things, the rules said only one pet dog could be kept in a flat - independent houses were allowed three. There were also restrictions on breeds to be kept in each place.
"New pet licensing scheme from BBMP has mandated that only one approved dog can be reared in a flat while an independent house cannot have more than three dogs," Bengaluru Mayor, Sampath Raj told news agency ANI.
The rules were met with severe backlash on social media, sparking a trending hashtag "#notwithoutmydog".
Dog lovers on social media called the regulation "regressive", "laughable", "unwarranted" and "draconian". A change.org petition was also started, which has been signed by 9,362 users.
Now, it appears that the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike or BBMP had only wanted public feedback on the issue and has reportedly scrapped the idea.
So what raised the temperature on social media?
The proposed first rule was, "only one approved dog can be reared in a flat while an independent house cannot have more than three dogs."
The rules also made it mandatory for dog owners to get a licence, which includes a radio collar with an embedded chip. The proposed rules also suggested a fine of Rs 1,000 on defaulters.
There was also a list of 'approved' breeds that Bengaluru residents could rear in their homes.
(With Inputs From ANI)