Mumbai’s Iconic Dadar Kabutarkhana Shut Down, Last Video Goes Viral
Mumbai’s Iconic Dadar Kabutarkhana Shut Down, Last Video Goes Viral
Mumbai: An emotional wave has swept through Mumbaikars as the iconic Kabutarkhana (pigeon feeding area) at Dadar faces permanent closure. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), acting on Maharashtra government orders, has shut down all 51 official Kabutarkhanas across the city citing public health concerns.
A video capturing the “final glimpse” of the Dadar Kabutarkhana has gone viral on social media, leaving citizens nostalgic about what many consider an integral part of Mumbai’s cultural and emotional identity.
For decades, Kabutarkhanas served as designated spaces where people fed pigeons, believing it to be an act of virtue. But rising concerns over respiratory illnesses such as hypersensitivity pneumonitis and asthma—linked to pigeon droppings and feathers—have prompted authorities to act.
The viral video, shared by Instagram user @dadarmumbaikar, has garnered over 2.9 million views. While some users welcomed the move for health reasons, others expressed concern about the pigeons’ fate. Suggestions have also poured in to install a pigeon sculpture at the site to preserve its symbolic significance.
Officials explained that unchecked pigeon population growth was adding to sanitation and health issues, making it imperative to shut down the Kabutarkhanas.
As one user commented, “This isn’t just a place, it’s a piece of Mumbai’s soul.”
