Feeding pigeons may land you in jail: Health Department seeks strict crackdown in Bengaluru

Citing serious health risks from pigeon droppings and feathers, the Karnataka Health Department has urged strict regulation, limited designated feeding zones, and legal action, including fines and jail, for violations in public spaces.

In a major move that could significantly change public behaviour across cities, the Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Department has initiated steps to regulate and effectively prohibit the feeding of pigeons in public places.

Deputy Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department, V. Lakshminath, has written a formal letter to the Urban Development Department (UDD), urging it to issue directions to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and all municipal corporations to strictly enforce new guidelines related to pigeon feeding.

The department has called for a blanket ban on feeding pigeons in public areas where it causes nuisance or health hazards. Feeding, if allowed, should be restricted only to locations identified and approved by the GBA, and must take place during fixed time slots under controlled conditions. The responsibility for maintaining cleanliness at such designated feeding zones should rest with charitable organisations or NGOs.

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To ensure enforcement, local authority officers have been empowered to issue spot warnings, impose fines, and even initiate prosecution against violators. Municipal bodies have also been instructed to run public awareness campaigns explaining health risks, legal provisions, penalties, and alternative humane methods of bird conservation.

The letter, dated December 16, highlights the growing danger posed by excessive pigeon droppings, feathers, foul smell, and overcrowding of birds in densely populated areas. Medical experts have cautioned that prolonged exposure to pigeon waste can lead to serious respiratory illnesses, including hypersensitivity pneumonitis and other lung diseases.

The department warned that these conditions could result in severe and sometimes irreversible lung damage, particularly among children, senior citizens, and people with pre-existing respiratory problems.
The note also refers to similar regulatory steps taken by the Greater Mumbai Municipal Corporation, following directions from the Bombay High Court, to underline the seriousness of the issue.

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From a legal standpoint, the department has cited Sections 270, 271 and 272 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, which deal with public nuisance and negligent acts likely to spread diseases dangerous to life. In addition, powers under the Greater Bengaluru Authority Act, 2025, and the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act, 1976, allow civic bodies to prevent the spread of infectious diseases and ensure public sanitation.

Officials clarified that violators may face fines, prosecution for negligence leading to the spread of infectious diseases, and imprisonment of up to six months, depending on the severity of the offence.