Bird hits at Kolkata airport cause for concern, municipal bodies asked to take action

Kolkata: Concerned over the rising incidents of bird hits at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport here, its Airfield Environment Management Committee (AEMC) has asked the local authorities to take measures so that such incidents can be minimised, an official said.

During a meeting held on Saturday under the chairmanship of West Bengal’s Home Secretary Nandini Chakravorty who is also the chairperson of the AEMC, strategies were discussed to enhance airspace security.

The meeting was convened by the Director of Kolkata airport, Dr Pravat Ranjan Beuria.

According to Beuria, the total number of bird hits that occurred at the Kolkata airport from January 1 to November 7 this year has been 18, which is a cause for concern.

The airport area is surrounded by five municipalities and all the civic bodies have been asked to carry out garbage cleaning on a regular basis.

Garbage dumps, open drains, butcher shops, fish stalls and waste food are major sources of attraction for birds.

The AEMC chairperson suggested that municipal authorities sensitise people and create awareness among those living near the airport, Airports Authority India (AAI) sources said.

“Discussions were held on environmental issues pertaining to the airport such as maintaining cleanliness of the areas surrounding the airport by removal of garbage, cleaning of drains, trimming of trees to curb the activities of birds in the airport area endangering aircraft safety,” the airport director told PTI.

During the review, it was found that Madhyamgram Municipality has taken prompt action in regular cleaning of garbage and iIt was appreciated by all members and Chakravorty.

She advised all other municipalities to follow the same, the airport director said.

"Ensuring safe skies! The Principal Secretary, West Bengal Govt. chaired the Airfield Environment Management Committee (AEMC) meeting at #KolkataAirport to address bird activity concerns. Effective strategies were discussed to enhance airspace security,” the Kolkata airport posted on X.

In addition, the committee also held discussion on interference caused by laser lights around the airport area. It was decided that the police will take action against such activities.

Laser lights cause problems for pilots while operating flights during operations. Eight to nine such incidents were reported by pilots in 2023. PTI SBN NN