The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed the formation of an expert committee to examine the pigeon-feeding controversy, while putting the brakes on the proposal of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to allow "controlled feeding" between 6 am and 8 am until public opinion is sought.
A bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Arif Doctor was hearing petitions on the closure of a nearly a century-old Kabutarkhana in Dadar. Maharashtra Advocate General Birendra Saraf presented a proposed list of committee members, including health officers, town planners, immunologists, and microbiologists, in line with the court's earlier directions to prioritise public health and constitutional rights. The bench asked for more names to be added.
Mr Saraf said the committee's first task would be to survey existing feeding points in public spaces and later recommend sites for controlled feeding without endangering public health. The court approved this and gave the panel a month from its first meeting to submit a report.
In addition, BMC informed the court it was ready to permit feeding during a two-hour morning slot with certain conditions. The bench rebuked the civic body for shifting from its earlier stand without consulting stakeholders. "You earlier took a decision in the public interest. Now, because one person says something, you change it? If you want to revise an order, issue a notice and seek suggestions from all stakeholders, including the public," the court said.
The judges directed that no controlled feeding could be allowed before assessing public health implications and inviting objections. The BMC clarified that no order had yet been passed and assured that suggestions would be sought first.
A suggestion from the petitioner to use Mahalaxmi Racecourse as a feeding point was met with caution from the bench. The bench said, "It may set the wrong precedent that could lead to demands for feeding zones in every open space."
The court directed that all stakeholders, including petitioners, can submit written suggestions to the newly formed committee, and that public views on controlled feeding should be collected within 5-10 days. The next hearing is scheduled after four weeks.
Speaking outside court, senior advocate Harish Pandya, appearing for the petitioner, said, "We had requested morning and evening slots for feeding, but that was not granted. The court will now decide based on the committee's report. This is a setback, as we cannot feed pigeons for now."
