Stray Dogs On Runway Pose Threat To Flights In Ahmedabad

Dogged by stray canine menace, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) has approached the Gujarat high court to deal with presence of dogs on the airstrip at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel international airport.

The AAI’s appeal filed recently sought directions to the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), its Cattle Nuisance Control Department, Animal Welfare Board of India and the central government to control dogs from straying on to the airstrip, which endangers flight operations. It even cited instances when flights were delayed after dogs strayed on to the operational area. The AAI first approached the high court in December last year and demanded that the AMC should send a dog van either daily or upon their call to control dog menace in order “to avoid human casualty” in the operational area.

The airport authority complained that even the AMC agreed to this during meetings but no effective step was taken. As AMC failed to address the canine menace, the AAI sought the court’s permission to manage the problem on its own. It demanded that rules should be framed for relocation of dogs to a place at least 40-50 km away from the airport.

The HC did not seem convinced with demands and said that “They were not only vague in nature but if granted, could not be monitored for execution”.

Airport canines slip under red tape

There is no provision in Gujarat Provincial Municipal Corporation Act which mandates the civic body to send dog van to airport on a daily basis. The court said that the incidents of delay in flight took place thrice in 2017, once in January and twice in the month of May, and hence directing AMC to send dog van daily is not desirable and feasible. It is for the airport authority to take appropriate measure to prevent stray dogs from entering the operational area.

When the HC did not seem inclined to intervene, AAI submitted that it should be permitted to shoot dogs the way Bombay high court did for Mumbai airport in 2004. The HC refused to accept this also because the prayer was not mentioned in the petition.

After rejection of the petition, AAI has now filed an appeal. But it got late in filing the appeal by eight days. A division bench headed by Chief Justice R S Reddy has issued notice to AMC and other authorities on the issue of delay.

Source : The Times Of India

Want to read more articles like these? Subscribe to our newsletter today!