Navi Mumbai: The Air India plane crash at Ahmedabad apparently due to a bird strike brings back focus on the dangerous illegal slaughter near the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) despite an advisory from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to stop it.
DGCA in its official Press Release on the Boeing Dreamliner said: “Suspect Bird strike in both engines. Lost complete power.”
NatConnect Foundation, which has raised its concern over the slaughter and open sale of mutton and chicken at Ulwe, barely in three km radius from the NMIA runway, has again expressed its anxiety over the neglect of DGCA norms by the local authorities.
NatConnect director B N Kumar again requested DGCA to take the Navi Mumbai Airport issue seriously as the slaughter attracts big birds such as kites which can pose threats to the aircraft at NMIA. NMIA is expected to be operational soon and Indigo and Aksa have already signed deals with the airport operator.
On a previous complaint by NatConnect, DGCA director Amit Gupta informed more than a month that the aerodrome operator has been advised to act against the slaughter that can attract birds, but there has been no action against the illegal slaughter of animals and the open sale of mutton and chicken, Kumar said.
Recently, the Aeronautical Information Service (AIS), managed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), has issued a NOTAM -Notice To Airmen - list pertaining to lack of operational readiness of Navi Mumbai International Airport.
But, the issue pertaining to the illegal slaughter within the 3 km radius is missing from the NOTAM list which mentioned the absence of landing and take-off routes and presence of 225 obstacles including 86 buildings, 79 hilltops, 23 power transmission towers, 12 mobile towers, and eight floodlight poles.
Kumar has, therefore, raised the slaughter issue with the General Manager of AIS who responded that the matter has been referred to the “concerned authorities at NMIAL”.
The Maharashtra government which appointed the Aerodrome Environment Monitoring Committee (AEMC) under the chairmanship of CIDCO has clearly stipulated in its order that slaughter within a 10km radius is prohibited.
Ironically, CIDCO administers Ulwe and yet it has not taken any action, Kumar said. “We have drawn the attention of CIDCO’s Chief Vigilance Officer over the grave lapse,” the activist said.
Echoing similar concern, local citizen Karan Chawla and Santosh Kate, NCP-Ajit Pawar leader said the clandestine mutton business has increased of late, as if with vengeance after the complaints. “It is highly unhygienic as well, but the gullible non-vegetarian lovers fall for the cheap mutton or chicken,” Kate said.
