Mumbai, Aug. 22 -- At a time when there is a raging controversy surrounding the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC's) recent actions to shut down 51 kabutarkhanas across the city, there is also a quieter, determined story of a nonagenarian activist whose persistence led to the closure of one such pigeon-feeding enclosure in Khar West three years ago. For nearly a decade, 95-year-old Anandini Thakoor, former chairperson of the H West Federation and managing trustee of the Khar Residents Association (KRA), led a relentless campaign to shut down the kabutarkhana near Khar market, following numerous complaints from residents, particularly senior citizens and children, about respiratory ailments. What was once a bustling pigeon feeding site, replete with droppings, scattered grain, and foul stench, has now been transformed into a beautified traffic island, free of birds and the hazards that plagued residents for years. The erstwhile kabutarkhana had been maintained since 2001 by a renowned jeweller in the area. However, the issue became contentious within the jeweller's own family when his elder brother alleged that his sibling was "using it for commercial gains". The jeweller's elder brother claimed to have obtained the BMC's permission to develop the area into a traffic island through a trust he established. He then had the full backing of Thakoor and the KRA. Thakoor recounted the residents association's long struggle. "The KRA took up this issue during the tenure of Sharad Ughade, who was the assistant municipal commissioner of the H-West Ward. I personally led the agitation after numerous complaints poured in, particularly since the issue affected the area around our local market," Thakoor told HT. According to Thakoor, vendors allegedly supported by a trust were dumping large quantities of grain directly into the nullah next to the kabutarkhana, attracting thousands of pigeons. "Once this was brought to our attention, we approached our local MLA, Ashish Shelar, and corporator, Alka Kerkar. They both took up the matter, and ward officer Ughade, along with the local police, stepped in to help," she said. While BMC records indicate that the kabutarkhana was first sealed in 2018, the jeweller challenged the order in the Dindoshi City Civil Court and managed to get it revoked, claiming support from 400 Khar residents. HT tried contacting the jeweller, but he wasn't traceable. Opponents, however, argued that the dense pigeon population was a serious health hazard. Many residents blamed the pigeons for recurring respiratory infections in the neighbourhood, and even linked a few tuberculosis cases to the proximity of the feeding site. "There were innumerable complaints from nearby residents about the unhygienic conditions created," said former corporator Kerkar. "Basically, the kabutarkhana was commercialised to sell chana." The KRA filed several complaints with the BMC, but the civic body was helpless since the civil court's order was in favour of the jeweller. Eventually, following continued pressure from the KRA and more resident complaints, the BMC resealed the enclosure in December 2019. The final blow came in September 2022, when the civil court dismissed a plea filed by the jeweller's charitable trust challenging the BMC's 2018 notice and seeking possession of the kabutarkhana. Following the dismissal of the plea, the BMC demolished the structure. Today, what was once a source of daily conflict and public health concern is a neatly restored and beautified traffic island, a testimony to the enduring efforts of veteran activists like Anandini Thakoor and the KRA, who refused to let the issue die down....