Mumbai: The civic body Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has fined over 150 people and collected Rs 68,700 after the authorities shut down all pigeon feeding points (kabutar khanas) in Mumbai, an official said here on Tuesday.
The BMC’s action came after the state government on July 3, directed it to immediately shut down at least 51 pigeon feeding grounds (kabutar khanas) in Mumbai.
The BMC is entitled to charge a violator a fine of Rs 500 if he is found feeding animals/birds in non-designated areas.
Of this, the highest penalties have been imposed at Dadar’s iconic kabutar khanas wherein at least 58 people were fined for feeding birds between July 4 and August 4 while an FIR was also registered against an unidentified person at Mahim police station.
Bringing to a close a nearly century-old tradition, the BMC on August 2 shut the Dadar feeding ground by covering the site with tarpaulin sheets.
The stringent 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.
Health experts have pointed to severe respiratory and systemic illnesses and their link with pigeons.
However, the closure of kabutar khanas and the ban on bird feeding drew criticism from several quarters, including birds lovers and members of Jain community which consider feeding pigeons is a religious duty.
