A recent court ban on feeding pigeons in public spaces in the western Indian city of Mumbai has become a major flashpoint between civic bodies, public health activists and bird lovers.
This month, hundreds of people clashed with police twice while protesting the closure of a decades-old pigeon feeding spot, or a kabutarkhana. (Kabutar is the Hindi word for pigeon.)
Some tore down the tarpaulin sheets covering the spot and threatened an indefinite hunger strike. Police briefly detained about 15 people at another protest, media reports said.
Authorities had imposed the ban due to concerns about health hazards due to pigeon droppings.
The problem is not unique to Mumbai. In Venice, feeding pigeons in historic squares is banned. Singapore imposes hefty fines, and New York and London have regulated feeding zones.
In India too, Pune and Thane cities in Maharashtra state – of which Mumbai is the capital – have imposed penalties on feeding pigeons. Delhi is mulling an advisory against feeding the birds in public spaces.
The crackdown has angered animal lovers and religious feeders, as pigeons are long woven into India’s cultural fabric.
Films often use shots of grain-feeding pigeons to evoke cities like Mumbai and Delhi, where the birds are a familiar presence on balconies and air-conditioners.
Credit: bbc.com
