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Indian Express
13-06-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Over 200 obstacles flagged by authorities near Kolkata airport, posing safety risk during take-off and landing
Even as the country mourns the loss of 241 lives in the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport in Kolkata continues to face a pressing concern: over 200 obstacles around its vicinity that pose potential risks during aircraft take-off and landing. According to sources, a recent Obstacle Limitation Surface (OLS) study identified a total of 377 hazards around the NSCBI Airport. While 90 of these have been successfully removed — including several tall trees and parts of illegally constructed buildings — the majority remain in place. These include mobile towers, water tanks, dish antennas, lightning arresters, and unauthorized high-rise structures. Around 287 still pose a threat. Of the 377 obstacles identified, 118 are considered 'problematic', comprising buildings and other structures. Of these, only 15 have been removed so far, with no action initiated against the remaining 103, sources said. Airport authorities have repeatedly issued notices to the owners of these properties, urging immediate compliance, the sources said. The issue of obstruction falls under the jurisdiction of six civic bodies: Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC), New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA), Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), Madhyamgram Municipality (MMC), New Barrackpore Municipality (NBM), and North Dum Dum Municipality (NDM). Obstructions include high-rises in Rajarhat and New Town, dish antennas in Madhyamgram, lightning arresters in New Town, large hoardings near BT College More, mobile towers in Michaelnagar and New Barrackpore, coconut trees in Michaelnagar, and electric poles along Jessore Road. The urgency of these concerns was highlighted at a high-level meeting of the Airfield Environment Management Committee (AEMC) held at NSCBI Airport on May 23. The meeting was chaired by Nandini Chakraborty, Principal Secretary, Home Department, Government of West Bengal, and attended by Dr P R Beuria, Airport Director, along with senior IAS officers, Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials, municipal representatives, and airline stakeholders. As the fifth busiest airport in India — handling over 400 flight movements daily and capable of accommodating Code-E wide-body aircraft — the removal of these obstacles and tall trees was a key point of discussion. The Airport Director informed the committee that precise coordinates of the identified trees and structures are being shared with the relevant authorities to facilitate their removal. The Principal Secretary also advised that these details be sent directly to municipal bodies for swift action. Apart from physical obstacles, laser beam interference near the airport emerged as another major concern. Airport Director Dr Pravat Ranjan Beuria flagged the issue, noting that lasers can temporarily blind pilots during critical phases of flight. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has already issued guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to address this hazard. Following the meeting, the Principal Secretary reportedly instructed municipal authorities and the police to strictly curb the use of lasers within designated 'laser beam-free' and 'laser beam-critical' flight zones. Sweety Kumari reports from West Bengal for The Indian Express. She is a journalist with over a decade of experience in the media industry. Covers Crime, Defence, Health , Politics etc and writes on trending topics. With a keen eye for investigative and human-interest stories. She has honed her craft across diverse beats including aviation, health, incidents etc. Sweety delivers impactful journalism that informs and engages audiences. Sweety Kumari is a graduate of Calcutta University with an Honors degree in Journalism from Jaipuria College and a PG in Mass Communication from Jadavpur University. Originally from Bihar, she is brought up in Kolkata and completed her education from Kendriya Vidyalaya SaltLake. Multilingual, Sweety is fluent in English, Hindi, Bengali, and Maithili. She started her career as an Entertainment and lifestyle journalist with a newsportal in Kolkata. She is working with The Indian Express for 8 years now. ... Read More
Time of India
30-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
After airport survey, 98 of 377 flight hurdles removed
Kolkata: Despite repeated warnings and ongoing efforts, only 98 out of 377 identified obstacles that directly come in the flight path of Kolkata airport were removed, according to the latest Obstacle Limitation Surface (OLS) study released by the airport authorities. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The report highlights that numerous structures and objects still pose a serious threat to aircraft during take-offs and landings. The OLS study, which assesses potential obstructions within designated airspace zones around the airports to ensure safe flight operations, revealed that while a significant number of tall trees were cut down and illegally constructed building floors of 15 structures were dismantled, the majority of hazards remain unaddressed. Unremoved obstacles include mobile towers, water tanks, dish antennas, lightning arresters, and unauthorised high-rises. The airport authorities have issued notices to the owners of the remaining structures, demanding their immediate removal. "We've flagged these obstructions multiple times," said an airport official. "While there was some action, a substantial number of hazards still need to be dealt with." The issue was recently discussed at the Airfield Environment Management Committee (AEMC) meeting, attended by senior state officials, including Nandini Chakraborty, principal secretary of Hill and Home Affairs, Bidhannagar Police commissioner Mukesh Kumar and officials of PWD, urban development department, Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and other surrounding municipalities. One of the major hurdles cited by municipal bodies is the delay in receiving permissions from the state forest department for pruning or removing trees. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The BMC requested the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to provide precise GPS coordinates of the trees identified for pruning. It was decided that AAI will share the coordinates of tall trees near the airport perimeter falling under six civic jurisdictions: BMC, New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA), Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), Madhyamgram Municipal Corporation (MMC), New Barrackpore Municipality (NBM), and North Dum Dum Municipality (NDM). Among these, Madhyamgram Municipality and Rohanda Gram Panchayat were recognised for their proactive approach, having removed 52 of the 114 tall trees. The current report included detailed photographs and descriptions of remaining violations: high-rises in Rajarhat and New Town, dish antennas in Madhyamgram, lightning arresters in New Town, hoardings near BT College More, mobile towers in Michaelnagar and New Barrackpore, coconut trees in Michaelnagar, and electric poles along Jessore Road.
