I went to 2 parks (IG park and Forest park) in Bhubaneswar and to my surprise pets are restricted inside the park. I was harassed by the park officials and asked to leave . As per guidelines by THE ANIMAL Welfare Board of India (AWBI) “dogs required exercise and it was illegal to deny them the exercise they require” And has issued guidelines as per which the Municipal Corporation cannot prohibit the entry of pet dogs in green belts of the city.

​To inform you this is not being followed in Bhubaneswar, the so-called smart city. This leads to regular harassment of pets and their owners by some who love to take law in their hands. Moreover, the pets are safe, immunized and registered whereas the stray dogs roam freely and dangerously uninterrupted anywhere. That's what the park official said to me, that stray dogs they can not remove but why pet dogs that are on leash are not allowed is a mystery to me.

Our constitution ensures compassion for all humans and animals. Dogs devoid of regular exercise become aggressive and sick. The owners rightly consider them as family members. In the colonial era, the signboards read, " INDIANS AND DOGS ARE NOT ALLOWED". After India's freedom, signboards of public places read, " DOGS ARE NOT ALLOWED" and this continues even after 68 years of Independence. This mindless and irresponsible act by authorities has no legal sanction.

Therefore, please open up public spaces to pets as well, as they don't have a separate planet for them.