Lodha inaugurates kabutarkhana on SGNP periphery

The spot is located inside the SGNP, Lodha claimed, but forest officials said it was located outside the boundary of the national park

Mumbai: Mumbai suburban guardian minister (joint) Mangal Prabhat Lodha on Sunday inaugurated a pigeon feeding spot at Teen Murti, Podanpur on the periphery of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP). The spot is located inside the SGNP, Lodha claimed, but forest officials said it was located outside the boundary of the national park.

On Sunday, Mangal Prabhat Lodha inaugurated a new kabutarkhana constructed by the Adinath Digambar Jain Temple at Teen Murti

A row over pigeon-feeding spots or kabutarkhanas erupted after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) sealed all kabutarkhanas in the city over health concerns and the Bombay High Court refused to stay their closure. Jain priests claimed the move would deprive pigeons of food and water and held protests at different parts of the city, including Dadar.

Several BJP leaders had then promised to set up a kabutarkhana – either in the Aarey forest or the SGNP, while environmentalists had opposed the move, saying feeding pigeons inside the national park would damage wildlife. The dairy development department owns the land in Aarey while non-forestry activities are barred inside the SGNP.

On Sunday, while speaking at the inauguration of the new kabutarkhana constructed by the Adinath Digambar Jain Temple at Teen Murti, Lodha said a middle path must be chosen to ensure pigeons receive food and water while citizens are not exposed to health risks. Pigeon feeding spots should be set up in forested areas, away from human settlements, he said.

Lodha claimed that pigeon-feeding was widely practised in London and New York and called for setting up a new kabutarkhana in every ward of Mumbai. Kabutarkhanas could be set up in BKC, along the Coastal Road and inside the Aarey Colony, he said.