No dogs allowed in the dog carnival!

On Sunday, a cafe in Mehrauli Archaeological Park was supposed to be abuzz with furry friends, dog parents and pet lovers. However, when the founders of the NGO organising the event reached the venue at 8am, they were informed that dogs won't be allowed to enter the ticketed area of the park, where the event was supposed to be held. The security manager at the park told us, "DDA officials have told us not to allow dogs in the ticketed area. There have been inspections every day since there's an official event being organised here in the coming week. The NGO can organise their event in the non-ticketed area, but all their arrangements are at the cafe." After the objections, the cafe also told the NGO not to bring in dogs. While the stalls and activities set up for the carnival had to be cancelled, some visitors participated in a 'paint with puppies' session - without any puppies.

"We are heartbroken. The Carnival With Puppies was organised to find forever homes for 25 indie puppies and all the proceeds were supposed to be used to buy coats and bori beds for winters and cover vaccination costs for rescued pups. We had over a hundred participants and were supporting four NGOs, too. Apparently, the authorities believe that dogs will create a mess and bring down the reputation of the place. We have earlier had a picnic with puppies at the same cafe, so this doesn't make any sense," say Annanya and Anwar, founders of the NGO, adding that it was a multi-city programme with events also being held in Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.

When we reached out to the DDA, an official said, "Entry was denied as the event was organised suo moto by the cafe owner without the consent or prior permission of DDA. Mehrauli Archaeological Park is a reserve forest replete with historic structures and DDA is trying its best to maintain it while giving the best visit experience to visitors."

The cafe management was unavailable for comment.

Pics: Nishad Alam