Bird-hits on rise, yet no check on garbage strewn along IAF station boundary wall

Gaurav Kanthwal

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Mohali, December 30

Despite increasing bird-hit incidents at the Shaheed Bhagat Singh International (SBSI) Airport, there is no check on garbage strewn in its periphery, putting the safety of passengers and aircrafts at risk.

Stray cattle and birds can be easily seen scavenging for the eatables in the garbage adjoining the boundary wall of the Air Force (AF) Station at Jagatpura village on the Jagatpura-Kandala road. Locals said the present dumping spot had come up recently.

“The area is spreading fast without any check by the authorities concerned,” said a Jagatpura village resident.

Bird-hit incidents involving civilian aircrafts at the airport are on the rise with the number shooting from two in 2018 to 25 till October 31, 2023, according to the data of the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

In 2019, three bird-hit incidents were reported, two in 2020, 16 in 2021 and 15 in 2022, according to the data placed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in the Rajya Sabha on Monday.

The Air Force authorities flagged encroachments with the administration which were removed to some extent recently.

On November 24, the administration officials reviewed the action taken reports of the departments concerned on anti-bird measures in the airfield of SBSI Airport. According to officials, the work of solid waste management project would be completed in two months in the Jagatpur area to resolve the issue of waste.