CNN-News18 Mumbai Townhall: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said people should not choose to be on the extremes when issues like the stray dogs directive by Supreme Court or the recent
directive by the Bombay High Court on kabootarkhana become topics of national discourse.
“We must learn how to strike a balance between caring for our citizens and caring for animals. People should not choose to be on the opposite sides of the spectrum when discussing these issues,” Fadnavis said in a conversation with CNN-News18’s Anand Narasimhan during CNN-News18’s Mumbai Townhall event.
In early July, the Maharashtra government directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to immediately shut down all kabootarkhanas. These kabootarkhanas are public pigeon-feeding spots across Mumbai and the court cited significant health hazards from pigeon droppings and feathers. The order came despite widespread cultural and religious importance attached to these sites for many communities. At least 51 such feeding spots exist in the city.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on August 11, 2025, directed authorities across Delhi–NCR to remove all stray dogs from public areas and relocate them to shelters within eight weeks. The ruling was driven by a surge in dog bite and rabies cases, especially among children. Amid growing discontent, protests broke out in Delhi. Activists, dog lovers and celebrities called the order inhumane and impractical.
On the kabootarkhana issue, Fadnavis said: “We have to take care of health hazards as well as religious sensitivity and strike a balance. We are trying to find a way. The High Court has given us directives and an expert committee has been set up”.
The Maharashtra Chief Minister said that both ease of living for people and caring for the animals and their right to live should be balanced, while speaking on the stray dogs issue.
“We are all dependent on each other, look the food chain. We have to strike a balance where people’s health and safety as well as animal rights are both not being trampled on,” he said.
“At one point, civic bodies used to kill strays. There was a directive for sterilization but that did not work out as planned. Number of strays increased then. This cannot be resolved in a single day and several reforms and measures should be undertaken”.
“We have to take note that sometimes two-wheeler riders and people riding cycles are chased or bit by dogs as well,” he said, while discussing how stray dogs impact people’s safety and health.
