MUMBAI, May 27 -- The Dadar kabutarkhana, which was at the centre of a controversy last year when a section of people protested against its closure following a Bombay High Court order, is back in the news. Mahim legislator Mahesh Sawant, in a letter to municipal commissioner Ashwini Bhide, has recommended that the pigeon-feeding spot, which was shut down in August 2025 and currently stands covered with a tarpaulin sheet, be narrowed down to make space for road-widening at the crowded junction. The issue, however, is complicated. The kabutarkhana continues to be contested in court, a concern raised by local corporator Yashwant Killedar. "This matter is sub-judice and the status quo will have to be maintained here," he said. Killedar also argued that since the kabutarkhana served as the junction of three roads, it would need to be retained as a traffic island for smooth vehicular flow. "If road congestion is the issue, the solution could also be to get setbacks from the redevelopment of nearby buildings," he said. Sawant countered this by pointing out that the court proceedings could be a long-drawn affair as would the future redevelopment of all the buildings around the kabutarkhana. "Some solutions need to be worked out in the interim period to deal with the congestion issue," he said. The Jain community, which has challenged the closure of the kabutarkhana, blames hawkers rather than pigeons for traffic congestion. "Strict action against hawkers has already eased the traffic situation here," said Sandeep Joshi, trustee of Jinraksha International Yuva Group. Joshi said pigeons were suffering during the exceptionally hot summer and deserved sympathy instead of losing space. "The kabutarkhana is the identity of this part of Dadar and should be renovated and beautified rather than curtailed or closed," he said, urging the BMC to again allow pigeon feeding for two hours every morning. The BMC, however, has taken a guarded approach. A senior civic official said the proposal would be studied, adding that the heritage status of the kabutarkhana and the heavy pedestrian and traffic movement at the junction would need consideration. Officials said traffic islands, dividers and clearer lane boundaries were among options being examined. Killedar recalled that the spot originally had only a small drinking water point and fountain before evolving into a pigeon-feeding hub. Civic activist Chetan Kamble said traffic bottlenecks were genuine, but hygiene had improved considerably since pigeon feeding stopped there recently....