Home to at least 51 Kabutarkhanas, Mumbai shuts its doors to pigeons as citizens, bird lovers protest

“All citizens are hereby informed that it is strictly prohibited to offer and feed food items to birds and animals at this site. Feeding food to birds at places of public gathering like these can trigger fungal infection and respiratory diseases,” says a board at the Dadar Kabutarkhana. The notice also warns of a Rs 500 fine on those who violate the directive and feed pigeons at the site.

The move has drawn opposition across several quarters with members of the Jain community staging a peaceful “yatra” in Colaba to oppose the closure of the city’s pigeon-feeding spots. On Sunday, Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha also wrote to the Mumbai municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, calling for alternative feeding spots for pigeons.

Built in 1933, the site is managed by the Dadar Kabutarkhana Trust – whose trustees, along with animal rights activists, had filed writ petitions in the HC against the BMC’s drive. (Express Photo/Akash Patil)

The stringent BMC measures come on the heels of the Bombay High Court order issued on July 30, directing the civic body to lodge FIRs against persons “illegally” and in a “defiant” manner feeding pigeons at Dadar West, among other feeding areas in Mumbai, despite the policy prohibiting the feeding.

“Despite clear directives which are sought to be implemented very rigorously, and court refusing to grant any stay on such directives of the BMC, it appears to be rampant that the feeding of pigeons at these prohibited places has continued unabated,” the high court observed on July 30.

According to records, the city is home to at least 51 kabutarkhanas, with the Dadar feeding ground being among the most iconic spots. Built in 1933, the site is managed by the Dadar Kabutarkhana Trust — whose trustees, along with animal rights activists, had filed writ petitions in the Bombay High Court against the BMC’s drive.

Pointing to the illegal feeding of pigeons, the HC, while hearing the writ petition, said that the issue was paramount to public health.

While some animal welfare groups and trusts have opposed the drive, the move has been welcomed across quarters over the health hazards posed by pigeons. (Express Photo/Akash Patil)

In light of the HC directives, the civic body on Saturday evening commenced its drive to install bamboo poles and lay out plastic sheets over the Dadar feeding ground to enforce the ban. On July 3, the state government had directed the BMC to immediately shut down all pigeon feeding grounds, following which the BMC had launched a crackdown by imposing penalties against those illegally feeding the birds.

For the record, the BMC is entitled to levy a fine of Rs 500 upon anyone who is found feeding animals/birds in non-designated areas, under the civic cleanliness and sanitation bylaws of 2006, framed under Section 461(ee) of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888.

The closure of the city’s Kabutarkhanas have come amid several experts pointing out that pigeon droppings, feathers, and nesting material carry harmful pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi that can cause severe respiratory and systemic illnesses, particularly in busy areas like Dadar’s feeding grounds that host a bustling populations of pigeons.

Besides concerns over pulmonary diseases, pigeon feeding and subsequent bird droppings have left citizens grappling with dirty and unhygienic premises, pushing them to incur huge costs in cleaning and maintaining their premises.

Voices of protest

The move has drawn criticism among animal rights activists as well as members of the Jain community, for whom the act of feeding pigeons holds religious values. Appealing for the ban on pigeon feeding be lifted, over thousand members of the Jain community on Sunday morning carried out a “Shantidoot Yatra” from Colaba to the Gateway of India. During the course of the rally, which saw three Jain monks in attendance, members demanded that the Kaburkhanas remain open.

Feeding pigeons in Mumbai is now banned, with fines for violators, and in light of the HC directives, the civic body on Saturday evening installed bamboo poles and covered out plastic sheets over the Dadar feeding ground to enforce the ban. (Express Photo/Akash Patil)

“Before taking such drastic steps, the government should have at least conducted studies around Kabutarkhanas to establish that people within 1 – 2 km radius of the feeding spots have been impacted. There is no such study to prove that pigeons are negatively affecting the health of citizens as all these diseases can also be caused owing to other factors. We will wait till August 7 to see what order is issued by the HC,” said Puran Doshi, a member of the Jain community and former corporator from Colaba, who joined the protest on Sunday.

Meanwhile, minister Lodha appealed to the civic body to arrive at a balanced middle ground and offer alternative arrangements for feeding, in a letter to the civic chief on Sunday.

“Was it appropriate for the MCGM (Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai) to abruptly halt a long-standing cultural and religious practice of animal feeding, without initiating dialogue with concerned stakeholders to explore alternatives,” wrote Lodha in the letter. Suggesting alternatives, Lodha recommended open spaces at BKC, Race Course, Aarey Colony and Sanjay Gandhi National Park as safe and regulated feeding spots.

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