Mumbai: Senior Police Inspector Sudhir Kudalkar of MHB Colony police station who is also an avid animal lover, said that housing societies cannot prevent pet owners from using lift with pets and fines cannot be imposed on pet owners for pet maintenance and in such cases, the pet owners can contact nearest police station or municipal corporation office for further assistance. Kudalkar, who is also founder of Pure Animal Lover (PAL) Foundation, said that his team also works in the direction of assisting aggrieved pet owners against such practices in housing societies.
"Animal cruelty has increased in the society, if any stray dogs or cats have given birth to puppies or kittens then they are being thrown out of societies without realising that newborns cannot be separated from their mothers. In some cases even acid is thrown on stray animals. In some cases it has been found that pet owners are prevented from using lifts and if some feeder is feeding strays in the society, then they are charged Rs 1000, Rs 2000 or Rs 5000 by the societies. The societies committees have no such powers to prevent pet owners from using lift because as an owner he can use the lift and pet is part of a family or impose fines for feeding strays," Kudalkar said.
"We have formed a PAL Legal team that has 25 advocates, 7 animal welfare officers and some officials from the human rights organisation. We send legal notices on behalf of feeders who contact us, to those housing societies who indulge in such wrong practices. The PAL Legal team works free of cost for the animal lovers. In the past three years we have given notices to more than 700 housing societies who were found to be involved in creating problems for pet owners and feeders and have got 100 percent success. We also spread awareness among such housing societies to show kindness for animals. If anyone harms an animal then the person is liable to be booked under section 325 (mischief by killing or maiming animal) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
"Resident Welfare Associations have no authority to legislate on animals like community dogs or pets; it's beyond their scope. By law, they should provide water and feeding spots with feeders' agreement. However, many RWAs enforce rules that direct feeders to feed dogs outside the society. It's crucial to consider dogs' territorial behavior; expecting different packs to converge on one spot is unrealistic. Awareness and police support are vital for managing these issues effectively," said Mumbai based animal rights activist Punita Chaudhary.
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