Whose pigeons are these? Delhi’s agencies pass the buck on growing bird menace

The veterinary department has washed its hands of the issue, stating that the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act does not list pigeons under its purview. The file has now been shuffled to the sanitation wing and the general branch, each equally reluctant to take over the issue

No municipal department wants to claim ownership of Delhi’s pigeons—or the mess they leave behind. As droppings crust over traffic islands, damage monuments and coat park benches, and as hawkers openly sell grain to crowds of feeders at busy intersections, the capital’s swelling rock pigeon population has sparked a turf war between municipal and government departments over who is responsible for controlling the menace.

Rock pigeons—greyish birds with glistening purple-green necks and black-banded tails—have colonised pavements, intersections, traffic islands and roundabouts across Delhi. A senior MCD public health official warned that unlimited access to food is driving an exponential population boom and that civic norms must evolve to tackle the menace. (AP/HT Archive)

What began as a straightforward request from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD)’s public health wing, asking the veterinary department to regulate feeding and check the population, has since ricocheted across the bureaucracy. The veterinary department has washed its hands of the issue, stating that the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act does not list pigeons under its purview. The file has now been shuffled to the sanitation wing and the general branch, each equally reluctant to take over the issue, leaving the larger question unanswered -- whose pigeons are these?

A senior veterinary department official said they received a communication from the additional municipal health officer stating that “increased pigeon population and also squatters and hawkers selling food grains to the public to feed pigeons has to be regulated” and asking the department to “examine the issue”.

“We have clarified that pigeons don’t fall under our jurisdiction. The DMC Act mandates us to regulate cattle, dogs, horses and other quadruped animals. We had even opposed the inclusion of capturing monkeys. Pigeons are simply not in our mandate, and this should fall under the sanitation department or the general branch,” the official said, adding that the matter has been forwarded.

A second official said the insanitation provisions and fines can be used by the department of environment management services (DEMS) in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to control the feeding spots. “Alternatively, since the people selling food grains are also street vendors, they can be regulated by the general branch,” the official added.

The pigeon menace was flagged in the standing committee meeting of the corporation.

Officials of the sanitation department and the MCD spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.

Rock pigeons—greyish birds with glistening purple-green necks and black-banded tails—have colonised pavements, intersections, traffic islands and roundabouts across Delhi. A senior MCD public health official warned that unlimited access to food is driving an exponential population boom and that civic norms must evolve to tackle the menace.

“There are several health risks linked to pigeon droppings, which can carry pathogens such as salmonella, E. coli, and influenza. The veterinary department also used to be a part of public health and even rat population was controlled through field staff,” a public health department official said, asking not to be named.

In a July 8 note, the department wrote that although “there is no data available to quantify disease due to pigeons in Delhi,” the growing population and unregulated feeding “has to be regulated.”

Other cities too are grappling with similar concerns. In July, Mumbai’s civic body, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), banned pigeon feeding on public health grounds after the Bombay High Court underscored risks from droppings and feathers. The move shut down traditional feeding spots and triggered protests. Last week, BMC directed officers in all 24 wards to scout new locations for controlled feeding, away from crowded areas.

Officials said a single pigeon produces roughly 11.5kg of droppings a year—acidic excreta that not only carries diseases such as psittacosis, ornithosis, salmonellosis, cryptococcosis and histoplasmosis but also corrodes buildings and monuments.