This Bengaluru apartment charges ₹10,000 as ‘pet maintenance fee', called out on social media

The deposited amount will be used for the treatment of pet bite victims and other pet-related maintenance works.

A Resident Welfare Association’s (RWA) rule for pet parents in Bengaluru has received backlash from not just the owners of animals but also the animal rights activists and social media users after it was found that they have asked for ₹10,000 for keeping pets. The RWA of Ittina Mahavir apartment in the Electronic City area has reportedly asked the pet parents to deposit a refundable amount of ₹10,000 per pet for keeping animals inside the apartment complex.

This Bengaluru apartment charges ₹10,000 as ‘pet maintenance fee', called out

According to reports, the deadline is set as November 15 to deposit the money and if not followed, a ₹100 fine will be imposed per day, starting from November 16.

The deposited amount will be used for the treatment of pet bite victims and other pet-related maintenance works, it said. This debatable apartment rule received a severe backlash from the internet as well.

A user wrote, “Charging ₹10,000 for keeping a pet? Perhaps they're funding a secret space program.”

Another user said, “Wow, ₹10,000 just to keep a pet? I guess they want to make sure only the most high-end fur babies are allowed in!”

Meanwhile, an official from Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) called the move ‘illegal.’ Speaking to The Times of India, an officer from the civic body’s animal husbandry wing said, “Charging for keeping pets in houses is illegal. No RWA can collect the fee, calling it for the ‘maintenance for pets.’ The government hospitals and even BBMP-affiliated hospitals treat dog victims for free. The victims will also be given compensation of Rs. 2000 for a dog bite. In such a case, how can any private entity levy such a fee on the residents?”