Noida Airport: Flight Ops Risk from Unregulated Constructions

Noida, Jul 10 (PTI) With unregulated building constructions and presence of birds and animals emerging as a serious threat to flight safety, the Gautam Buddh Nagar administration has directed urgent measures to tackle hazards in the vicinity of the upcoming Noida International Airport in Jewar.

The challenges were noted by the Airport Environment Management Committee (AEMC) during its meeting on Wednesday, chaired by District Magistrate Manish Kumar Verma and attended by senior administration and airport officials.

The DM stressed the need for cleanliness, waste control and regulation of illegal constructions within a 10-kilometre radius to ensure smooth and safe airport operations, noting the risk to flight operations, according to an official statement.

Verma emphasised the need to avoid dumping carcasses and garbage in the area and instructed departments to undertake regular monthly inspections in coordination with AEMC and submit timely reports to the chairperson.

"He also ordered the strengthening of all drainage systems...to prevent waterlogging, and approved the formation of a survey team to identify illegal constructions for legal action and demolition," it added.

The meeting was attended by Kiran Jain, chief operating officer (COO), Noida International Airport, Additional District Magistrate (Finance and Revenue) Atul Kumar, Jewar Sub-Divisional Magistrate Abhay Kumar Singh, District Disaster Expert Omkar Chaturvedi and other officials from the district administration and departments associated with the airport project.

COO Jain gave a presentation highlighting the environmental conditions and operational hazards within the airport's 10-km radius.

In response, DM Verma called for identifying unapproved constructions, regulating building activities, launching joint surveys with local administration and forming an obstacle clearance committee, according to the statement issued by the district information office.

The DM also instructed that laser emitters and drone activities near the airport without No Objection Certificates (NOCs) be prohibited, emphasising the need to spread awareness in rural areas to prevent the use of such equipment in restricted zones.

The airport is a greenfield PPP project in the Jewar area of Gautam Buddh Nagar district in western Uttar Pradesh, around 70 km off from Connaught Place in central Delhi. Currently, work is underway for the launch of the first phase of operations of the airport later this year, behind the initial schedule of September 2024.