‘My mother suffered for four years’: BJP MLA Ram Kadam sounds alarm over pigeon droppings

Maharashtra assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar on Tuesday directed the state government to appoint an expert committee to recommend measures to prevent such illnesses

Mumbai: Responding to concerns over deaths linked to exposure to pigeon droppings, Maharashtra assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar on Tuesday directed the state government to appoint an expert committee to recommend measures to prevent such illnesses and examine whether the birds could be relocated away from human habitations.

BJP MLA Ram Kadam raised the issue in the assembly, citing the recent death of his 76-year-old mother, Dhondubai Shivaji Kadam, from interstitial lung disease (ILD).

The direction came after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ram Kadam raised the issue in the assembly, citing the recent death of his 76-year-old mother, Dhondubai Shivaji Kadam, from interstitial lung disease (ILD). He urged the government to take steps to ensure that others do not suffer a similar fate.

Kadam, who represents Ghatkopar West assembly constituency, said during zero hour that his mother died on June 12 after being terminally ill for two years. He said that several lung diseases associated with prolonged exposure to pigeon droppings are fatal and cause immense suffering.

“I am not against birds or their right to live. But nine lakh people are diagnosed every year with diseases linked to pigeon droppings. The government must take serious steps to prevent such painful deaths,” he said.

Responding to the matter, Narwekar said, “The issue raised by Kadam is serious in nature and concerns the lives of lakhs of people. The state government should constitute a committee of experts and take appropriate action based on its recommendations.”

Later in the day, Kadam, speaking to HT, said that his only intention in raising the issue in the assembly was to find a balanced solution that protects both people and birds.

“My mother suffered for four years, and all I could do was watch helplessly. With the help of union government ministries, I even tried to procure an experimental drug from abroad. That was possible because I am a legislator, but I do not want any other citizen to go through such suffering,” he said.

“The final days were extremely painful. She would cough continuously for 15 to 20 minutes before collapsing from exhaustion. The patient needs to be kept on oxygen support. The medicines only slow down the progression of the disease; they cannot cure it. I am not against any animal, nor do I want pigeons to starve. I would be the first person to be distressed if any pigeon died of starvation, as happened when kabutarkhanas were shut abruptly,” he added.

Kadam suggested that the government set up feeding centres on large land parcels, such as Sanjay Gandhi National Park or Film City, where pigeons could be relocated and fed in a regulated manner, away from densely populated residential areas. He also proposed exploring scientific measures, including contraception, to control the pigeon population.

“The expert committee announced by the speaker should include scientists, ornithologists, animal welfare experts and bird lovers, so that it can recommend solutions that balance public health concerns with animal welfare,” he said, adding that countries such as Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States have separate laws for management of pigeons through relocation, birth control and trapping.

Any measures adopted by the government should be in accordance with the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and in consultation with the Animal Welfare Board of India, he said.