New Delhi, March 19 The Delhi High Court on Wednesday agreed to examine a public interest litigation (PIL) highlighting the issue of rising encounters of birds/wildlife with aircraft at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport.
Issuing notice, a bench of Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela sought responses from the Centre, Airports Authority of India and others in the matter within six weeks.
“The encounter of birds/wildlife with aircraft at the IGI Airport does not only pose a threat to the life and safety of the passengers in the aircraft but also to the residents of the neighbouring areas in the event of an aircraft crash,” the plea said.
As per the petition, during the period of 2018-2023, the total number of bird strikes at the IGI Airport, stood at 705 incidents, outnumbering combined bird strike incidents reported across 29 airports in six different states.
It added that the “primary reason for the occurrence of such incidents is on account of the presence of slaughterhouses, meat shops, dairy farms and environmental pollution around the IGI Airport”.
After hearing the submissions, the bench issued a notice to the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Airports Authority of India, the Delhi government and other respondents.
The PIL seeks directions to authorities to take immediate and effective measures to reduce Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard [BASH] and implement the Bird Avoidance Model [BAM] at Delhi Airport, the absence of which has resulted in serious accidents in the past.
The Aircraft Rules, 1937 and the Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak, 2024 prohibit slaughter or flay of animals or disposal of any garbage related thereto, which is likely to attract birds/animals, within a radius of 10 km from the aerodrome reference point.
“While the Respondents (authorities) have acknowledged the said causes have increased BASH accidents, no effective measures/steps have been taken to curb the said menace,” the plea said.
The petitioner, Gauri Maulekhi, was represented by senior advocate Kirtiman Singh, assisted by advocates Meghna Mishra and Yashodhara Gupta of M/s Karanjawala & Co. The matter will be heard next on May 14.
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