Expert committee on pigeon feeding seeks 3-month extension

Vijay Kandewad, the director of public health services and head of the panel, told HT that compiling their findings may take longer

Mumbai: The expert committee appointed by the Maharashtra government to study the impact of pigeon feathers and droppings on human health has sought a three-month extension to submit its report.

Mumbai, India - August 03, 2025: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Saturday evening covered the Dadar Kabutarkhana with large plastic sheets following a Bombay High Court directive banning pigeon feeding at designated spots across in Mumbai, India, on Sunday, August 03, 2025. (Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

While the committee, appointed in August, was expected to submit its report 30 days after its first meeting, Vijay Kandewad, the director of public health services and head of the panel, told HT that compiling their findings may take longer. “We have requested the state government to give us an extension of three months more than the time given to us earlier,” Kandewad said.

The 13-member expert committee was appointed by the state government following a direction from the Bombay High Court on August 13. Pigeons have been at the centre of a showdown between those demanding the closure of pigeon feeding sites or kabootarkhanas over health concerns and members of the Jain community who follow the tradition of mercy feeding or jeev daya.

The conflict played out starkly in August when the state government ordered the closure of all 51 kabootarkhanas across Mumbai. After the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation covered the Dadar kabootarkhana with tarpaulin to prevent access, hundreds of members of the Jain community and local residents gathered at the site and forcefully tore down the covers. While the protest was eventually called off following government assurances and the establishment of alternative feeding sites, the overall dispute remains ongoing, with legal challenges still pending.

Sources said it is unlikely the committee will submit its findings to the state government ahead of the upcoming civic polls in Mumbai. In October, the pigeon also forayed into poll-bound Mumbai’s politics, becoming the election symbol of the newly formed Shanti Doot Jankalyan Party led by Jain monk Nilesh Chandra Vijay.

Since its appointment, the committee has had several meetings with various stakeholders, including medical experts. Members of the committee have also visited kabootarkhanas, including the one in Dadar and near the General Post Office. The committee members have also interacted with people living near the kabootarkhanas, sources told HT.

The committee is also examining case studies from around the world where pigeon feeding has been an issue. Among the examples from other countries, sources said, the committee’s attention was drawn to a method tested in England, in which wooden bird homes were built for pigeons to nest in and the eggs were then relocated to other safe locations to control the disproportionate increase in the pigeon population in one area.

The committee is in the process of consulting with experts and is considering suggestions from various stakeholders, including those on the controlled feeding of the birds. “The process of gathering data and compiling the committee’s report is ongoing. The final report of the committee is going to be a bulky one,” said Kandewad.

The Kandewad-led committee, appointed on August 22, includes members from the Indian Council for Medical Research, Grant Medical College’s microbiology department, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, the Bombay Natural History Society, and lung specialists, among others.