Pandalam: To tackle the nuisance caused by birds nesting on a banyan tree adjacent to the site of the new KSRTC bus stand, the Pandalam municipality has sanctioned ₹5 lakh to install a funnel.

The initiative aims to protect passengers from the inconvenience caused by bird droppings. This latest allocation by the civic body comes in addition to the ₹2.20 lakh previously sanctioned by the Biodiversity Board to drive birds away from trees near the neighbourhood market.

The construction of both the bus stand and the funnel is slated to be completed simultaneously. A protective wall will also be built around the banyan tree, located at the entry to the bus stand. Hundreds of birds have flocked to the tree, and the funnel is being installed to shield the public from the nuisance caused by their droppings.

This marks the second project aimed at dispersing birds from public spaces. The first initiative, launched in 2022, utilised the ₹2.20 lakh sanctioned by the Biodiversity Board. That effort involved casting nets and was intended to protect 12 heritage trees across various locations.

However, the funds were exhausted after only three trees along the KSRTC Road were pruned, and the protection of the remaining heritage trees could not be taken up. It was the first time in the history of the Biodiversity Board that funds were allocated for such a purpose, based on a proposal drafted by then municipal chairperson Susheela Santhosh.

Birds find new refuge
Birds displaced through the netting of trees along the KSRTC Road have now taken refuge in the banyan tree near the new bus stand. Authorities aim to install the funnel before the stand becomes operational. Flocks of birds gather on the tree between May and June and leave around September and October. Hundreds of birds, including darters, little egrets, great egrets, cormorants and little herons, nest in the tree’s canopy.