Pigeon racing near Ahmedabad airport ruffles plenty of feathers

AHMEDABAD: As your flight takes off from the Ahmedabad airport to deliver you to your holiday paradise, your plane's pilots are likely to face the hellish antics of aerial combatants - racing pigeons.
These pigeons can cause serious harm to passengers, flight operations, and aircraft worth millions of US dollars, but authorities so far have only been parroting the line about spheres of responsibility.
So, officials are mulling a chicken-and-egg equation: what comes first, jurisdiction or safety? If they had eyes like a hawk, they would have noticed that Ahmedabad recorded 35 bird-hits from January to September 2021. In 2019, 80 bird-hits were reported.
As for pigeon-flying competitions, they are known as 'kabootarbazi' and take place all over the city. However, those that have raised concern are the ones happening over and around the airspace of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. Breeders race the birds in areas like Asarwa, Meghaninagar, Sardarnagar, and Kubernagar that lie close to the airport.
The competitions drew heated arguments at an inquiry committee meeting held on October 6.
Stop pigeon racing, says airport; AMC says 'no power'
The meeting's agenda was to bring down the number of bird-hits. The proceedings were chaired by the state government's additional chief secretary and were attended by state government officials, senior officials of the airport, and the AMC.
Sources said the airport officials were clear in stating that pigeon racing enhances the risk of bird-hits. The airport authority demanded that the AMC take steps to prohibit these competitions. However, the AMC shrugged off the responsibility, saying it does not fall in its jurisdiction. Eventually, AMC officials and airport representatives decided to visit these areas jointly.
An AMC official who did not wish to be named said that, for the first time, the airport officials mentioned the bird-hit threat from pigeon-flying competitions. "The airport officials said that many people rear pigeons and hold competitions," the official said. "The pigeon that flies for the longest time and lands last is declared the winner. Airport officials said these long pigeon flights endanger aircraft during take-off or landing." The official said the civic body argued that it does not have the power to stop people from rearing or racing pigeons.
A kabootarbaz said pigeons are also reared in areas such as Behrampura, Jamalpur, and Chamanpura. "The pigeon breeds include Kalsera, Bajra, Kala Makwa, Katwa, Saijapuri, and green and blue pigeons," he said. "The competitions are usually held every 15 days in winter." He said the owner of the winning bird gets a cash prize.
Another kabootarbaz said that at least seven and a maximum of 180 pigeons participate in these competitions.