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Indian Express
7 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Protest erupts at Dadar Kabutarkhana after protesters try to feed pigeons forcibly
More than a hundred members of the Jain community took to the streets Wednesday morning, forcefully opened the Dadar Kabutarkhana and offered grains to pigeons at a time when the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)'s closure of such feeding spots has ruffled feathers across quarters in the city. The protest comes a day after Maharashtra's Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis directed BMC to permit the feeding of pigeons in a controlled manner. Over the weekend, BMC shut the 92-year-old feeding spot in Dadar and lodged First Information Reports (FIRs), much to the chagrin of animal rights activists and members of the Jain community for whom feeding pigeons holds religious significance. Tensions flared in Dadar where hundreds of Jain community members flocked to the kabutarkhana, and some of them climbed atop the bamboo structure, and pulled down the tarpaulin sheets over the site, which BMC installed over the weekend. Following the partial removal of the cover, the crowd, led by women, climbed inside the feeding ground and offered grains to the pigeons even as the police attempted to control the protesters. Currently, the Mumbai police said they are filing an FIR against the forceful opening of the closed feeding site. BMC action Dadar Kabutarkhana is amongst the 44 feeding spots where the civic body has initiated action against pigeon feeding. Between July 13 and August 3, at least 141 people have been fined for feeding pigeons with the civic body collecting over Rs. 68,700 in penalties. Mumbai is home to at least 51 such kabutarkhanas with the Maharashtra Government on July 3 called for the closure of these feeding sites owing to concerns of public health hazards. However, BMC's stance on the closure of Kabutarkhanas gained further momentum after the Bombay High Court order issued on July 30, directing the civic body to lodge FIRs against those who 'illegally' and in a 'defiant' manner feed pigeons at Dadar West, among other feeding areas in Mumbai, despite the policy prohibiting the feeding. Amid the civic body shutting pigeon feeding across the city, members of the Jain community Monday staged a 'Shantidoot Yatra' from Colaba to the Gateway of India, appealing for the reversal of the decision. On Tuesday, CM Fadnavis had directed BMC to facilitate feeding of pigeons in public spaces in a controlled manner to ensure that the birds do not starve. Even as the civic body maintained that the sites would remain closed until the Bombay High Court hearing on August 7, officials said BMC was exploring the options of feeding for staggered durations, following Fadnavis's directives. Anticipating agitation and protest, BMC Tuesday also asked the police for assistance in taking action against those who would be found feeding pigeons at public spaces.
Indian Express
04-08-2025
- Indian Express
Over 140 fined for illegally feeding pigeons in Mumbai
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has fined over 140 people between July 13 and August 3 as part of its crackdown against those illegally feeding pigeons. The civic body has raked in penalties of up to Rs 68,700 from those fined. The BMC's action came after the state government, on July 3, directed it to immediately shut down all pigeon feeding grounds (kabutarkhanas). According to data furnished by the state Urban Development Minister Uday Samant, the city is home to at least 51 kabutarkhanas. Records show that the civic body has imposed fines on at least 142 persons between July 13 and August 3 for illegally feeding pigeons in the city. The civic body has carried out action across at least 44 kabutarkhanas, with the BMC collecting total fines of upto Rs. 68,700. The BMC is entitled to levy a fine of Rs 500 upon anyone who is found feeding animals/birds in non-designated areas. Of this, the highest penalties have been imposed at Dadar's iconic kabutarkhanas wherein at least 58 people were fined for feeding birds. between July 4 and August 8. Bringing to close a nearly century-old tradition, the BMC on August 2 shut the Dadar feeding ground by covering the site with tarpaulin sheets. In Dadar, the BMC had also filed an FIR against an unidentified person at the Mahim Police Station on August 1 for feeding pigeons. The stringent measures come along 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. After Dadar, records show that the second highest fines have been imposed in the H/West ward wherein at least 15 people have been fined for feeding pigeons at two kabutarkhanas. Meanwhile, Rs 6,500 have been collected in penalties against 13 persons for unauthorised feeding in the T ward which encompasses Mulund. Meanwhile, in at least five wards — B ward, C ward, L ward, M/west and M/East ward — the civic body has imposed no fines for illegal bird feeding. Health experts have pointed to severe respiratory and systemic illnesses and their link with pigeons. However, the closure of kabutarkhanas and the ban on bird feeding drew criticism from several quarters with members of the Jain community on Sunday morning carrying out a 'Shantidoot Yatra' from Colaba to Gateway of India in protest.
