DELHI - Homing pigeons, the winged messengers of the Indian police force, look set to be grounded after half a century of service.
Around 800 birds from the Police Pigeon Service which since 1946 have battled cyclones and floods to deliver urgent police missives between remote stations in the eastern state
of Orissa are set for retirement under Government proposals to make them redundant in favour of email and telephones.
The pigeons, which were used extensively by the British Army during World War II, were handed to the Indian police before independence in 1947.
The winged courier service is trained and fed by a special force of about 40 police officers in 29 lofts across the state, at an annual cost of about 500,000 rupees ($23,000).
Officials say the Auditor-General's Department has long wanted the birds grounded because of the unnecessary expense.
The zenith of the pigeons' service history was in 1948, when they flew an urgent message to a remote area about arrangements for a visit by India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru.
They also proved invaluable in the aftermath of a cyclone in 1999.
Officials say the winged courier service offers a higher level of secrecy than wireless communication.
- INDEPENDENT
