Passengers disembark a plane at Gaya airport. Picture by Suman

Gaya, Oct. 9: The facility of nocturnal operation of flights at Gaya international airport has failed to take off despite a number of trials. For, the obstruction lights installed atop five hills around the airport get stolen at frequent intervals.

Sources said the solar-powered lights were installed in 2008. However, the authorities of the only international airport of Bihar and Jharkhand have been unable to start the facility of low light landing or take-off.

The repeated thefts have prompted the administration to contemplate hiring chowkidars to guard the lights.

Gaya airport director Samar Kumar Biswas told The Telegraph: “We have the necessary equipment to re-install the night landing facility. We are also ready to pay for a chowkidar. Our objective is to start night operation facility at the Gaya international airport at the earliest.”

The airport started operations in 2002 after a long gap with a maiden Haj flight. However, early this month, two domestic flights between Gaya and Delhi, via Varanasi, were cancelled because of non-availability of night-landing facility.

Sources said it is essential to re-start the facility to avert the cancellation of any international fights.

Also, the facility is essential to deal with air traffic that is expected to increase in the coming festive season at Bodhgaya.

The leader of Tibetan Buddhists, the Dalai Lama, is set to visit the town on December 31 for the Kalchakra Puja. A large number of devotees would follow the spiritual leader for the festival that will continue till January 10.

The solar power obstruction lights were installed atop the hills in February 2008. They were set up for the Bodhgaya visit of President Pratibha Patil.

However, the solar plates, batteries and halogen lamps installed on Dhungeshwari, Larpur and Pretshila hills were stolen only a month later. Only the towers on which the halogen lights had been installed were left behind.

Only the obstruction lights atop Ramshila and the Brahmayoni hills were functional.

Then airport controller N. Prabhudeb lodged FIRs with the Bodhgaya and Chandauti police stations in connection with the thefts.

A fresh tender to re-install solar power obstruction lights on Dhungeshwari, Larpurand and Pretshila hills was issued. The installation was also completed. However, the lights were again stolen from all the three hills. The light on Brahmayoni hills was also stolen in July 2010.

Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials discovered the thefts during a routine inspection. AAI again lodged FIRs with the police stations concerned.

At present, only the lights installed on top of Ramshila hills are functional.

AAI sources said the matter was pursued with the district magistrate and Gaya senior superintendent of police. AAI authorities also met deputy development commissioner Gopal Meena. It was decided that residents of the area would be appointed as guards to ensure the safety of the solar-powered lights. The authority would ensure the payment to the guards.