Bombay high court directs action against illegal feeding of pigeons
A bench of justices Girish S Kulkarni and Arif S Doctor made the observations on Wednesday as it heard petitions challenging the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)'s demolition of kabutarkhanas (feeding points) on July 3. The court stayed the demolition and observed that the illegal pigeon feeding continued despite clear directions from the municipal corporation.
The BMC has moved to close 'Kabutarkhanas' over pigeon droppings and severe respiratory diseases related to exposure to pigeons.
The BMC on July 24 told the court that the pigeon droppings and the feathers triggered asthma and other diseases such as hypersensitivity and pneumonitis. A medical report submitted to the court highlighted that exposure to pigeons and their droppings can harm lungs and cause acute breathlessness. It said most people realise this medical condition too late by the time fibrosis starts in the lungs. No drug is available to cure or reverse fibrosis.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Mohali Fortis told to pay ₹50 lakh for patient's death due to negligence
Finding Fortis hospital in Mohali guilty of gross medical negligence, the district consumer disputes redressal commission has directed it to pay ₹50 lakh compensation to the family of a patient who died at the hospital in 2021. The consumer commission held that the hospital is liable not only for medical negligence but also for deficiency in services and unfair trade practices. (Getty Images/iStockphoto) The deceased, Harit Sharma, was a practising advocate at the Punjab and Haryana high court. His dying declaration from the hospital bed, a note in which he had written that he overheard doctors discussing that his case was mishandled, served as a crucial piece of evidence. The consumer commission held that the hospital is liable not only for medical negligence but also for deficiency in services and unfair trade practices. 'The ends of justice would meet if a lump sum compensation of ₹50 lakh is awarded to the complainants in lieu of the medical negligence committed by the hospital,' said the commission. The complainants included the deceased's wife Priyanka Sharma and her two minor sons. They stated before the commission that Sharma had been admitted at the Fortis Hospital, Mohali, on the morning of July 28, 2021, as he suffered from acute gastric problem. He was treated by Mohnish Chabra and other attending doctors. Before admitting him, Fortis conducted a Covid test which was found negative. It is further pleaded that as the visiting hours were restricted, the victim's wife only went to meet him between 12.30pm to 1pm on July 29, 2021. She was told that her husband had recovered from the gastric problem and due to improvement, the patient desired to be shifted to a private ward from ICU. However, he was kept in ICU on the pretext that ascites – a medical condition characterised by the excessive accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity – was to be removed from his stomach. It was further stated that due to negligent tapping, his oxygen levels came down drastically and he had to be put on oxygen support. The victim's wife stated that Sharma was fully conscious despite being on oxygen support and he overheard the hospital director saying that the tapping was done wrongly and that it had to be re-done. The victim revealed this to the complainant through a written note – he was unable to speak due to the oxygen mask – when she went to meet him the next day. The note read: 'Subah director had come. Director said Chabra has done wrong tapping. It will be done again.' She attached the dying declaration as evidence in her case before the consumer forum. A spokesperson of the Fortis hospital said they are aware of a consumer case concerning their hospital. 'As we are yet to receive the official court order, we are unable to comment on the specifics at this stage. Once the order is in hand, we will conduct a thorough review and, guided by expert legal advice, take appropriate action as deemed necessary.'
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
BMC intensifies drive against diseases after citizen reporters express concern
Bhubaneswar: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has intensified its awareness and prevention drive against water- and vector-borne diseases, following concerns raised by several citizen reporters. Citizen reporters highlighted issues of stagnant water, which creates breeding grounds for mosquitoes, and uncollected garbage, which creates unhygienic conditions in different localities, leading to risk of diseases. The city recently reported diarrhoea cases. Citizen reporter Rudra Narayan Jena pointed out that stagnant water in densely populated areas poses a serious threat of water- and vector-borne diseases, including dengue. "Though there is a steady rise in these diseases in the city recently, no concrete step is being taken by the civic body so far. We urged the administration to look into the matter seriously," Jena wrote on TOI's Citizen Reporter portal, sharing pictures from Bishnupriya Nagar near Infocity. Another citizen reporter, Shanti Lata, wrote how garbage was piling up on the roads of Niladri Vihar for days. "The fear of water-borne diseases in the city escalated due to the bad sanitation practice in different localities," she wrote. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade crypto futures confidently in INR CoinDCX Download Undo Sharing a few pictures, she reported that piled-up garbage in Niladri Vihar has created an unhygienic situation. "The rainwater mixed with the garbage provides a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. So perfect for a city which ranked 9th in the country in cleanliness," she wrote. Responding to the concerns, city mayor Sulochana Das said that regular awareness drives are being conducted in different localities on good sanitation practices. "Our sanitation workers are also being sensitised on hygiene," she said. Das said that cleanliness is a collective effort, and everyone should contribute. "We are aware about the diseases during monsoon and are prepared accordingly. We have recently intensified our awareness and prevention drives," she said. The city has reported over 200 dengue cases since Jan 1, while the state has reported more than 650 cases. Authorities have identified Patia, Sikharchandi and Prasanti Vihar in the city as high-risk areas. BMC recently floated a tender to select an agency for implementing anti-larval measures aimed at controlling mosquito growth. The tender is in its final stage, sources said. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !
Hindustan Times
19 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Leadership: What's missing from conversations about the future of health care in India
Reimagination and transformation are words often used by experts, commentators, and decision-makers while referring to the future of health care in India. In most cases, this reimagining and transforming refers to decisions that need to be taken--about ways to boost cutting-edge research and build infrastructure, addressing open regulatory questions, and embracing AI and other digital technology tools. Far less often, however, do these conversations consider who takes these decisions and how they will be taken. Health care(Getty Images/iStockphoto) Leadership--both who leads and how they lead--is the invisible foundation of designing any health care solution. It is the behind-the-scenes mechanism that determines which solutions are explored, introduced, and eventually scaled up. Very often, it is the difference between an idea and its on-ground implementation. In a country like India, where public health challenges are not only scientific or biomedical, but also social, bridging this difference can affect the lives of millions. Scientists in laboratories may have developed India's first domestic HPV vaccine, but for it to benefit women and girls all over the country, a series of decisions--from planning a nationwide rollout and training frontline health workers to tackling widespread stigma--need to be made. India's health ecosystem has long valued technical expertise and authority over softer skills that underpin a more inclusive approach in its leaders. Bringing leadership to the fore in health care, therefore, necessitates a mindset shift to address persistent health system challenges in the country. Leadership development is mostly thought of in the context of management training and business degrees, far from health care settings in which traditional gender norms and hierarchical notions dominate. However, these structural barriers often result in policies that overlook the needs of marginalised communities, perpetuating poor health outcomes and hindering progress towards health inclusion and equity. Gender norms and inequalities, in particular, affect the design and delivery of health care, determining women and girls' access to vital information, resources, and services. That improvements in organisational outcomes are related to leadership decisions might seem intuitive on the surface. However, across the health ecosystem, leadership, and especially women's leadership, has been overlooked as a key lever for designing equitable solutions and improving health outcomes. Investments are far more likely to be allocated towards R&D and infrastructure over the people whose decisions will shape potential solutions. In recent times, this view is gradually changing; a recent BMJ review of over 130 studies examining the impact of women's leadership in organisations across low-and-middle-income countries found that women's leadership is associated with positive changes across key outcomes, including innovation and health. In the case of health outcomes, notably, there are examples of reductions in sex-selective abortions in India and more proactive pandemic responses resulting in fewer Covid-19-related deaths. Documentation of these examples is limited, owing in part to women's lack of representation in health leadership, but both showcase new ways of thinking about deep-rooted and complex public health challenges. Women leaders also display more participatory leadership approaches, poising them to approach challenges with greater inclusivity. In other words, today, women are the greatest underutilised leadership pool for transforming health outcomes. As the health ecosystem in India evolves to incorporate more technology-enabled solutions, there is a need to consider the leadership decisions that will inform the path of this evolution. Contrary to popular notions, leadership is a developed skillset —an interplay of mindset and behaviours that can be acquired through targeted training, allowing the health systems to move away from traditional, hierarchical ideas that equate technical expertise with good leadership. For instance, in the case of community health workers and nurses working in rural India, dedicated training programmes not only empower them, but also enhance the overall quality of care that would otherwise not be assured with technical skills alone. Additionally, there is a need to deepen our understanding of the links between leadership and improved outcomes. Today, there is limited attention paid towards the impact of women's leadership on health outcomes; generating more contextual data can help build the necessary awareness and momentum towards transforming rigid systems. While leadership features in everything we do, it is not an answer by itself for addressing health challenges. It is a part of the answer, a component along with science, politics, economics, sociology, and so on. As these elements work together in addition to policy, regulation, and governance, we can begin to concretely redefine the future of health care in India. This article is authored by Dr Ayesha Chaudhary, director and Sanaya Chandar, communications manager, WomenLift Health, India.
