Friday, May 02, 2014

Finally, AAI plans safety check on minar blocking flight path

Mumbai: After a year of dilly-dallying, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) has decided to conduct a safety assessment of the minar of a mosque at Santa Cruz later this month. The minar poses grave hazard to flight operations as it protrudes dangerously in the glide path of both Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) and Juhu airport.
In its January 5 edition last year, dna had first reported about the safety harzard posed by the minar which stands next to BEST bus depot in Santa Cruz (West). The structure is an obstacle to runway 09 of CSIA and runway 34 of Juhu airport, airport sources said.
"Finally, something is expected to be done about the issue, after being on the back-burner for so long," said a senior AAI official, having direct knowledge about the development.
The matter, in fact, was taken up by the Intelligence Bureau (IB), which asked the AAI to take urgent remedial measures as the minar could lead to a tragedy. The order by the Ministry of Home Affairs, under which IB functions, came in the backdrop of the apparent negligence of aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
02/05/14 Shahkar Abidi/Daily News & Analysis
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