Plan for Doppler radar at Chennai airport faces headwind

Chennai: The India Meteorological Department's plan to install a Doppler radar exclusively for aviation purposes near the Chennai airport is being delayed by bureaucratic red tape, officials say. The radar is to help the aerodrome meteorological office monitor low-level windshear and other weather patterns and issue a comprehensive weather report to airlines.
It was proposed to be installed on the slopes of the Tirusulam hills to monitor the wind pattern along the glide path of aircraft coming in to land. While the government has expressed interest in the project, the lower-level bureaucracy is allegedly dragging its feet to allot 1,500 sq m of land. And, tired of the delays, the met department has concluded that the project will not take off.
Initially, there was confusion on who owned the land on the slopes of the hills - the state or the defence authorities. For some time, the Kancheepuram district administration maintained it was defence land. After it was proved to be state government land, meteorological department officials held discussions with Tambaram taluk office officials. The jurisdiction of the land was transferred to the newly formed Alandur taluk office when revenue boundaries were redrawn before the assembly elections in May 2011.
23/02/12 V Ayyappan/Times of India

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Categories: airports Feb 2012