At least 20 are fined in India for feeding pigeons in Mumbai's business hub

(AP) Civic officials have begun imposing fines of 500 rupees ($11) on people caught feeding pigeons in Mumbai's posh Marine Drive area overlooking the Arabian Sea in an attempt to keep their city clean and disease free, an official said Tuesday.

Civic officials circulated handbills last week with the warning, "Bird feeding is prohibited in public places."

At least 20 people have been fined since the cleanliness drive began over the weekend, Vijay Balamwar, Mumbai's assistant municipal commissioner, said.

Tourists and local residents will now have to restrict themselves to scattering corn for pigeons at a designated spot in the area, Balamwar said. Mumbai is India's financial and entertainment capital.

"We want to beautify and clean up the promenade, but we can't do that with bird droppings everywhere," said Balamwar.

Pigeons carry diseases and spread filth, he said, adding that people must stop feeding them all over the place.

Residents have backed the move.

"Pigeon droppings cause lung problems," Chandresh Shah, a member of the Marine Drive Residents' Association, was quoted as saying in Mumbai's DNA newspaper.

"People who come here just to feed pigeons don't realize the trouble it causes to those who suffer from asthma," he said.