Chandigarh.
Sh. Manish Tewari, Member of Parliament from Chandigarh and former Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting, along with Sh. Malvinder Singh Kang, MP from Shri Anandpur Sahib, Punjab, jointly chaired a crucial meeting convened by Chandigarh International Airport Limited to address the issue of unusual bird activity around the airport, which poses a serious flight safety hazard for both Indian Air Force and civilian aircraft.
The meeting was attended by senior officials, including the Municipal Commissioner of Mohali, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Urban Development) Mohali, Municipal Commissioner of Chandigarh Sh. Amit Kumar, Sh. Sanjay Arora, Chief Engineer of Municipal Corporation Chandigarh, MOH Health Chandigarh, and other concerned authorities. Senior officers from the Indian Air Force, including SATCO Group Captain Manav Anand, also participated and briefed stakeholders on the gravity of the threat posed by increased bird activity near the take-off and landing corridors.
The problem areas were meticulously identified and mapped, pinpointing locations on both the eastern and western sides of the runway where bird activity poses the highest risk.
Both MPs emphasized the need for immediate action to remove all garbage and other unauthorized activities that attract birds in these critical zones. They instructed officials from the Chandigarh International Airport Limited, district and municipal authorities, and the Indian Air Force to convene immediately and prepare a comprehensive action plan to eliminate waste and prevent bird congregation within the next seven days.
Mr. Tewari and Mr. Kang further mandated that an Action Taken Report outlining the steps implemented to mitigate the problem must be presented within three weeks, coinciding with the next meeting on this issue. This meeting will be held jointly by the two MPs as a sub-group of the Airport Advisory Committee of Chandigarh International Airport Limited.
Highlighting legal accountability, both MPs also strongly recommended the strict enforcement of provisions under the Indian Aircraft Act, 1937, which allow for fines of up to Rs. 1 crore and imprisonment of up to three years. They urged the designated authorities to issue show-cause notices and initiate criminal proceedings against violators within a 10-kilometre radius of the airport whose activities threaten aviation safety.
Passenger and aviation safety, they emphasized, remain of utmost priority, with zero tolerance for any unauthorized activity that could compromise the safety of incoming or outgoing flights at Chandigarh International Airport.
