Overview
- Jain monk Nileshchandra Vijay launched a protest and hunger strike at Azad Maidan, demanding the Dadar Kabutarkhana be reopened.
- He rejects the civic plan that permits pigeon feeding only from 7 to 9 am at Worli Reservoir, Lokhandwala Back Road mangroves, the Airoli–Mulund check post area, and Gorai ground under NGO supervision.
- The BMC says the alternate feeding arrangement is temporary until an expert committee report and court orders, with closed Kabutarkhanas staying shut for now.
- Arguing the new sites are 4 to 9 km from Dadar, the monk seeks limited feeding permissions at the original location and offers community funding to buy land if the city allots a site.
- Residents and groups such as Aamhi Girgaonkar back the closures on health grounds, while the monk alleges a sharp drop in pigeon numbers and mass deaths, a claim reported without independent verification.