A mobile tower near the runway of Biju Patnaik Airport. Picture by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, June 20: In the wake of three bird-hit cases during the last week of May, officials of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the municipal corporation today decided to follow a 10-point programme to ensure safety and better cleanliness around the city airport.

All the three recent bird hit cases involved Indigo that operates 12 flights from the city everyday.

Airport director Sharad Kumar said: “Biju Patnaik Airport has got the international tag, and we have received two international charted flights and are expecting operations by major players shortly. The operators should not have any doubt regarding the safety standards at our end.”

Besides, the AAI authorities pointed out at threat due to the mobile towers around the airport area.

“The trainee pilots taking flights in smaller craft are flying low, and we have observed that many mobile towers are also not fitted with the obstruction lights to warn the low-flying craft. We have urged the corporation officials to include a no-objection certificate from us before allowing erection of a mobile tower near the airport zone,” Kumar said.

A senior civic official said: “The AAI officials will tell us the zones, so that we can ensure that mobile towers come fitted with the obstruction lights. We will issue a notice to the telecom infrastructure and tower providers to have the aviation warning lights on their towers within a month.” Obstruction lights are usually used as aircraft warning lights as they emit the warning light in low, medium or high intensity level as required by the danger zones near the airport area.

The airport officials also urged the corporation to declare major roads as no-cracker zone as there is a chance of accident during the flight movement. “For this declaration, we have asked the airport people to give us the exact map of the area where they want this to be executed,” said a nodal officer.

The dumping of carcass near the flight path of the airport (near Gandamunda) was the point raised by senior AAI officials as they said that the carnivorous birds were attracted towards the dump creating problem for the flights.

Markets near Fire Station, Lingaraj Road Passenger Halt, Palaspalli and Sundarpada came on the AAI scanner as the airport officials objected to the dumping of the animals’ body parts by the meat and fish sellers.

City health officer Chandrika Prasad Das said the dog-catching squad will be put to service near the airport and the airport authorities will be asked to subscribe to the express cleaning service as it has expired after May.