Feeding Pigeons In Mumbai Now Can Land You In Legal Trouble. Here's Why
Now, feeding pigeons on Mumbai streets and public places would be deemed as a punishable offence, as the Bombay High Court has directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to file FIRs against individuals who continue to feed pigeons in public despite a civic ban.
A bench of Justice G S Kulkarni and Justice Arif Doctor, while hearing a petition filed by a group of animal enthusiasts on Wednesday, said the act is causing a public nuisance and also poses a health hazard to people of all ages at large, news agency PTI reported.
The court had earlier this month restrained the Mumbai civic body from demolishing any of the old heritage ' kabutarkhanas ' (pigeon feeding spots) in the metropolis, but had said it cannot permit feeding of these birds.
Despite the denial of permission, it has been found that people continue to feed pigeons at these places.
'Despite clear directives which are sought to be implemented very rigorously, and the 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 HC observed.
'This is now compounded with an emerging situation of utter disregard for law, by those who defiantly continue to feed pigeons in the teeth of our earlier order rejecting pleas supporting any such feeding and congregation of pigeons, and now obstruction to civic officials from discharging their duties in this regard," observed the court while passing the order.
The High Court also directed the BMC to penalise those feeding pigeons in defiance of its directives.
'We accordingly permit the municipal corporation to lodge prosecutions against any person/s who continues to feed pigeons in defiance of the directives issued by the MCGM (Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai) since such acts would, in our unhesitating view, constitute a public nuisance and likely to spread diseases and endanger human life," the High Court noted.
'Such acts undoubtedly expose people at large and particularly those who dwell or occupy property in the vicinity (of pigeon feeding spots) to an eminent danger from the spread of infections/diseases dangerous to human life, in addition to causing a large-scale public nuisance," it asserted.
The civic body shall take all necessary steps and implement strict measures as they may deem appropriate to stop the congregation of pigeons at the various ' kabutarkhanas ' across the metropolis, the bench maintained.
The matter relates to petitions filed by animal lovers Pallavi Patil, Sneha Visaria, and Savita Mahajan, who had challenged the demolition of kabutarkhanas. It was argued that the move violated the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
However, the court rejected the plea and observed, 'The safety and predominance of human health cannot be compromised due to such unchecked and unlawful congregation of pigeons."
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