From today, pigeons won’t be fed by anyone near Mysuru Palace

Mysuru: Starting from Monday, pigeons will not be offered grains in front of the Kote Anjaneya Swamy Temple located at the north gate (Balarama Gate) of the Mysuru Palace. For the last few years, the public, tourists, and a few organisations were offering grains to pigeons, which had become a bone of contention. A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting chaired by Mysore MP Yaduveer Wadiyar.
During the meeting, which was attended by officials from the Mysuru district administration, Mysuru City Corporation, and heritage experts, a majority of the participants opposed offering grains to pigeons.
Heritage expert NS Rangaraju stated that pigeon droppings damage the statues and heritage building walls as they contain uric acid. They should not be offered grains in the name of birthdays or wedding photo shoots, he said. Earlier, there were very few pigeons in the area. "Now their number has increased several folds. They have also resulted in more rats living in the vicinity. All these must be taken note of, and grains should not be offered to pigeons here," he said.
BJP leader R Raghu warned of a protest if the practice of offering grains to the pigeons continued.
Yaduveer said many people have raised complaints against offering grains to pigeons in the vicinity of the palace. There is no need to offer grains to them as they are independent creatures. Keeping in mind several factors, including public health, this practice must be stopped, he said.
In the meeting, it was decided that from Monday, pigeons will not be given grains by any individuals or organisations.
Former MLA L Nagendra, MGP founder president Bhami V Shenoy, and others were present.