Feeding stray dogs near airport may increase risk of animals entering runway: Officials
2
3
Bhubaneswar: Feeding stray dogs outside the city airport poses a danger as the canines sometimes stray into operational areas in search of food, prompting authorities to engage field personnel to drive them away, officials said.
If the dogs enter the runway during aircraft landing and takeoff, it may pose serious safety risks, they said.
"We have been witnessing that passengers and their relatives feed dogs close to the airport's parking facilities, passage to exit, taxi stand and cityside beautification areas. Dogs know those who offer food. If they are hungry, they keep coming to the same place if they feel they are getting food easily. It is not that dogs shouldn't be given food, but it shouldn't be close to the airport," said a senior airport officer.
Airport sources said it is unlikely that a stray dog will enter the airport's operational area through departure and arrival gates. "There are instances of canines making their way into operational areas (runway and apron) through other gates. Once they sneak in, no one knows how they will behave inside the sprawling area. They keep field duty staff on tenterhooks," the officer added.
In Nov 2012, a wild cat was found trapped in a cage.
In Sep 2013, a wild jackal was found in the operational areas. In June and July 2014, two jackals were found. However, since then, there has been no incident of wild animals being sighted in the airport's operational area. Airport authorities conduct regular cleaning drives to cut and prune bushy patches to prevent wild animals from hiding there. However, dogs keep straying, and they are driven away.
Jivan Ballav Das, secretary of People For Animals, an NGO working for the welfare of stray dogs, said people can't be asked to stop feeding dogs, but it can be regulated by not allowing them to do so close to the airport. "A designated dog feeding place should be earmarked at a considerable distance so that they don't come towards the airport side," he told TOI.
Follow more information on
Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here
. Get
real-time live updates
on rescue operations and check
full list of passengers onboard AI 171
.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Time of India
Khunti villagers cut cake to mark two mnths of bridge collapse, govt ‘apathy'
1 2 Ranchi: In a unique way to show anger against the delay in rebuilding a bridge over the Banai river in Murhu block of Khunti district, villagers on Tuesday cut a cake at the site to mark two months of bridge collapse. The bridge, which was constructed in 2007, collapsed on June 19, 2025, during heavy rainfall. The bridge was used by people from around a dozen villages, including hundreds of students, regularly. It linked Khunti to Jamshedpur, Chaibasa, Kolkata and other places. A gram pradhan, Shiv Shankar Tiru, said, "Locals are travelling 10-14 km extra to reach various places, including banks. Students are also covering more distances and getting to school late. It has also become a challenge to send pregnant women to hospitals on time." Villagers had approached the administration and sought permission to build a bamboo bridge at their cost, but the officials refused, saying it would be dangerous. People adopted this method to highlight their problems, he addded. Hume pipes were laid along the damaged bridge to create a diversion, but the upper layer of the mud over the pipes was washed away by the initial rain of the Shravan month. The administration declared the diversion dangerous and asked people to avoid it. Sunil Horo, a resident of Pelaol village and father of a Class VIII student said, "There are three schools located on both sides of the bridge. Students have to be guided on the diversion while going to school or else they may fall into the river. Many students cover an additional 10km to reach their schools if they take other routes." Murhu block development officer Ranjit Sinha said, "The proposal for building the bridge over the river is at an advanced stage. However, I do not know about the exact status." Khunti deputy commissioner R Ronita was not available for comments on the issue. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Time of India
At 105, Kerala man becomes 'digi-literate'
KOCHI: The year M A Abdullah Maulavi was born marked the dawn of the Roaring Twenties, a decade of rapid tech transformation. Little did the now 105-year-old Kerala native know that it would take him another century and more to find his tech mojo as a "fully digi-literate" person able to use a smartphone. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "I used to have keypad phones. With training from the panchayat, I can now access internet on a smartphone, keep myself abreast of news," Abdullah told TOI. Centenarian trained under govt's Digi Keralam project The centenarian is among 22 lakh Keralites to have undergone training under state's Digi Keralam project, meant to achieve 100% digital literacy - the second such landmark since communist-governed Kerala became India's first fully literate state in 1991. For Abdullah, a resident of Odakkali in Ernakulam district's Perumbavoor, the pandemic was the catalyst for change. His son Faisal Ali recalls seeing his father get increasingly restless during the lockdown as the newspapers stopped coming. "He would watch news channels on our phones, but didn't relish having to depend on others," Faisal said. "Last year, when Digi Keralam volunteers asked if he was interested in becoming digitally literate, my father grabbed the opportunity. He didn't want to be left behind." It helped that Abdullah, a religious scholar, has been a learner all his life. He is fluent in Arabic, Urdu, English and Hindi, besides Malayalam. But Jaya CR, the area's saksharatha pracharak and Digi Kerala panchayat coordinator, said teaching Abdullah wasn't easy. "He had a disciplined routine for decades, leaving little room for new things. Our volunteers had to adapt to his schedule and learning methods." The training lasted two months, during which Abdullah and the other learners were taught the basics of operating a smartphone. They also learnt how to pay bills and access govt e-services. With over two million citizens benefiting from the initiative, CM Pinarayi Vijayan is ready to declare Kerala a fully digi-literate state on Aug 21.
Time of India
15 hours ago
- Time of India
Big cat travelled 150km across 3 districts in 4 days: DFO
1 2 3 4 Bhubaneswar: A tiger, whose pugmarks were first spotted in Sundargarh on Aug 15, has travelled 150km in four days and reached Kholbilung section under Bamra forest range in Sambalpur, said Bamra DFO, Bikram Dev Pattanaik, on Tuesday. The movement of the big cat has caused panic among villagers in Sundargarh, Jharsuguda and Sambalpur districts, officials said. Pattanaik said, "From the pugmarks, it is confirmed it is a Royal Bengal Tiger, and we suspect it is an adult male. We believe the tiger entered Sundargarh from Chhattisgarh. The tiger is moving very fast, and we are monitoring its movements round the clock. Four camera traps have been installed in strategic locations in the forest. So far, the big cat has not been captured on camera." The divisional forest officer (DFO), said that on Tuesday pugmarks were spotted near a pond in Kholbilung village. "We believe it will travel to the adjacent Bonai forest division in Sundargarh. The Bonai DFO has been informed about the possible route of the tiger," he added. Officials said the tiger is aged over 7 years and it had injured a cow in Sundargarh. Forest officials are sensitising people in villages under Bamra division to stay indoors and not venture outside at night. Forest officials have set up camps in Niktimal and Kholbilung sections and 30 personnel are engaged in tracking the big cat. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
