The Daily Populous Wednesday August 6th, 2025 evening edition
Authored by cnbctv18.com and submitted by PM_ME_YOUR_HALWA

Jains in Bombay are protesting against BMC's order of restrictions on pigeon feeding in these areas.

Regular exposure to pigeon droppings, feathers, urine may cause permanent Interstitial Lung diseases, and may result in de@th.

— Tarun Gautam (@TARUNspeakss) August 6, 2025

A week after the Bombay High Court directed the Mumbai civic body to file FIRs against individuals who feed pigeons, a large crowd of Jain protestors gathered at the Dadar Kabutarkhana on Wednesday morning and expressed outrage.The protest turned chaotic when several people vandalised the plastic cover erected by civic officials and opened the feeding area. On Saturday, the BMC covered the Kabutarkhana with a tarpaulin sheet.In the viral videos, hundreds of protestors, including both men and women, were seen storming the location and tearing apart the cover. Despite efforts by officials, the kabutarkhana was forced open by 10 am.Soon after the incident, Maharashtra minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha termed the incident ‘unfortunate’ and urged the community to maintain peace.In a post on X, he wrote, “The incident that occurred this morning at Kabutarkhana is extremely unfortunate. It has left me distressed. On the issue of Kabutarkhana, Hon. Chief Minister Shri. Devendraji Fadnavis has taken a balanced and sensitive decision. By giving clear instructions to implement alternative measures, he has struck a golden mean in this matter.”“I humbly appeal to all citizens to maintain restraint and peace, and no one should take the law into their own hands.”This comes a day after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis opposed abrupt closures and proposed controlled feeding of the birds . Fadnavis, who chaired a meeting on the issue of ‘kabutarkhanas’ in Mumbai, said, “Saving the lives of pigeons, protecting the environment, and securing citizens’ health — all three are important. Until an alternative system is in place, the BMC should continue a regulated and controlled supply of food to the pigeons.”He also proposed the formulation of a formal policy to specify where and when pigeons can be fed in a regulated manner to avoid health hazards.Speaking with The Indian Express, Mumbai’s Municipal Commissioner and state-appointed administrator Bhushan Gagrani said, “The CM has directed us to find an alternate measure to allow feeding of pigeons in Mumbai. This could be done by allowing the Kabootarkhanas to stay open for a few hours during the day when people can feed the birds. However, the decision on the staggered timings has not been taken yet. We are not planning to reopen the shut Kabootarkhanas immediately, since we are contemplating our next move."The Maharashtra government on July 3 ordered to shut of all 51 kabutarkhana in Mumbai, imposing a ₹500 fine on violators. At least 141 people were penalised for feeding pigeons between July 13 and August 3, and the local body collected more than ₹ 68,700.Earlier, Lodha questioned the civic body's move to halt the practice of feeding pigeons. However, his appeal evoked a sharp response from Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).In a letter to BMC commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, Lodha requested the identification of designated open spaces as temporary zones for supervised pigeon feeding. While responding sharply to this proposal, MNS's Mumbai city president, Sandeep Deshpande, said that everything cannot be viewed from an emotional lens."Decisions impacting lakhs of Mumbaikars should be made with rationality and scientific backing, especially when public health is at stake," he added.