Mumbai: Animal Animal lovers and activists on Saturday held a silent protest at Carter Road in Bandra West over the installation of ‘No Pets Allowed’ notices along the seaside promenade by the Bandra Bandstand Residents Trust. They said that only a competent authority, like the BMC, has the right to issue any public notice along Carter Road and other parts of the seaside with regard to walking pets or feeding the local animals.“It appears that some local Bandra residents feel that they own the Bandstand area, and have therefore put up notices like ‘No Pets’, ‘No Cycling’, and ‘No Smoking’,” said Shiraz Ahmad of Humanity World Foundation. “On March 16, we complained to the BMC about these illegal notice boards and it removed some of them. On Saturday, we animal lovers gathered at Carter Road and we also blackened some of the remaining notices in the public spaces.“Sneha Visaria of Just Smile Charitable Trust said: “We assembled peacefully at Carter Road and also displayed our protest banners. While we can understand the ‘No Smoking’ notices since cigarettes are a health hazard, our protest was mainly against the ‘No Pets’ notices. Also, what right does a residents association have to enforce such rules on a public promenade.”Ahmad also complained: “I have seen how some slum children from nearby areas were stopped from entering the promenade by the residents’ body. This is unfair, because all people have the right to go there and enjoy the sea breeze.”
