New airport terminal edges out wildlife habitat

Not many know that an expensive new terminal and runway coming up at the international airport in the capital has dealt a death blow to a wildlife habitat spread over 3,000 acres of land on the city's edge.
The area dug up and fenced off for the new T3 terminal at the Indira Gandhi International Airport was once home to over 63 bird species, 60 blue bulls, packs of jackals, wild dogs and wild cats.
It is located just behind the Centaur Hotel and opposite Hotel Uppal's Orchid, with a road in between.
DIAL is Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), a joint consortium of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), GMR Group, Frankfurt Airport and Malaysian Airport, which is developing T3 at an estimated cost of Rs.300 billion (approx $7.6 billion).
'The forest area in the country is already shrinking. According to government norms it should be over 33 percent but figures show it is less than 12 percent.
'In the past six months we have trans-located at least 52 neelgais (blue bulls) to the Asola Wildlife Sanctuary after capturing them psychically, as tranquillisers could prove lethal for them. Five neelgais still remain and the process of safe relocation is still under way,' Raj said.
'The bird species have now flown elsewhere due to the destruction of water resources in the area, but peacocks are still there.
04/11/07 Sahil Makkar/Earthtimes, UK

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Categories: Airports Nov 2007