2 days ago
Legal notice flags bird strike risk near SVPI airport in Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad: A legal notice was recently issued by a former state govt official, Pankaj Buch, accusing various authorities of endangering air safety by allowing illegal meat markets and slaughter points to operate near Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) airport in Ahmedabad.
Buch, who is also an animal welfare activist, served the notice to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Gujarat police, animal husbandry department, and the food safety department of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), demanding urgent action.
The notice was served in light of the fatal crash of Air India's AI171 on June 12 and demands the urgent closure and removal of meat, poultry, and fish shops operating within 10km of the city airport, particularly in the funnel zone where aircraft take off and land.
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"Despite clear aviation risks, local agencies have allowed these establishments to function without required DGCA clearances, directly violating Rule 91 of Aircraft Rules, 1937," the notice states. Rule 91 explicitly bans animal slaughter, garbage dumping, and any bird-attracting activity near aerodromes.
Even though the official probe is still underway into the AI 171 crash, the incident has renewed long-standing safety concerns linked to the SVPI airport vicinity.
The city airport reported 43 incidents of bird strikes in 2024. From Jan to June this year, 23 such incidents were reported, as is learnt from sources. This is a substantial decline from 59 incidents reported in 2023.
A list of 25 shops has been annexed to the legal notice, highlighting outlets as close as 3.4km from the airport.
The issue of relocation of Asarwa Fish Market has, however, been extensively discussed over the past seven years in the environment committee meetings of the SVPI airport.
Stakeholders of AAI, AMC, the state govt, among others, attend this meeting held every quarter. "The Asarwa fish market falls on the funnel area, i.e., the take-off and landing route of the aircraft. However, the issue is yet to be addressed," said a source.
"The issue of pigeon racing and pigeon fights in the neighbouring Sardarnagar and Kubernagar areas, which is along the perimeter wall of the city airport, has also been raised repeatedly.
Both issues have been represented before the civic authorities urging prompt action," the source further added.
According to the complaint, hundreds of meat and fish shops continue to operate near SVPIA's boundary, drawing scavenger birds like kites and crows into the critical aircraft approach path. Drawing parallels to a 2015 Bombay high court ruling, which ordered strict action against slaughterhouses near Mumbai Airport, the notice argues that Ahmedabad faces a comparable risk and that civic authorities and law enforcement agencies are legally obliged to act.
The notice warns that failure to intervene could amount to 'wilful negligence' and contempt of legal precedent.
The notice specifically calls out AMC's food safety officers for continuing to issue and renew licences for such shops without verifying compliance with aviation safety regulations. Blame is also placed on the animal husbandry department and Gujarat State Animal Welfare Board for their inaction.
