At Surat airport, height obstacles and flight operations coexist
Surat: The Flight AI 171 crash in Ahmedabad has brought air transport hazards into the spotlight.
The airport in Surat has been subject to neglect in this regard for decades. It first took a public movement to make the airport operational, while later gaining notoriety when it became perhaps the only airport where an aircraft hit a buffalo on the runway.
There are shrimp farms near the airport on one side, which attract birds, and an underground gas pipeline on the other side which prevents the runway from being extended.
Another issue concerning citizens and hampering full-fledged operations is nearby buildings allegedly breaching the Height Obstacle Surface — an imaginary surface extending outwards and upward from the runway — within which can pose a hazard to aircraft.
This matter is now being adjudicated in court.
The developers of the buildings concerned say they followed all the proper procedures and while the buildings still stand, flight operations also continue.
The height obstacles are a concern for the aviation fraternity and for those who campaigned to make the airport operational. There have been many representations and discussions among stakeholders, but no solution has been found.
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by Taboola
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"A few of these buildings were developed even after the height issue came to light. How did the authorities permit the development of these buildings? This highlights the negligence of the authorities," said Sanjay Jain, a member of the group 'We Work for a Working Airport at Surat'.
Top Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) officials were not available for comment. The SMC issues 'Building Use' (BU) permission after a building is found to comply with standards and get approval from all the authorities concerned.
These buildings allegedly breaching the airport's Height Obstacle Surface have BU certificates.
On the lack of clear guidelines on development around the airport, aviation enthusiast Rajesh Modi, said, "Why have the five Obstacle Limitation Surface surveys not been done for the full length of both runways, existing and proposed? If they are not doing the survey for the full length, the 'No Objection' certificate application system restrictions should be scrapped."
Developers of various buildings facing the height obstacle issue say they built the structures after getting the approval from the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
"All the buildings have the required approvals. We submitted documents to the concerned authorities to prove our claims. Only after obtaining the necessary clearances and approvals did we construct the buildings," said Shivlal Ponkia, a developer.
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