Director of the Pune International Airport Santosh Dhoke had written to the Pune Municipal Commissioner over unauthorised constructions and garbage dumping on the east and west walls of the airport, leading to increased bird activity on June 18 — two days before an Air India flight was cancelled due to a bird hit. On June 20, an Air India flight was grounded at the Pune Airport and its return journey to Delhi was cancelled after a bird hit was detected post-landing. On June 5, a flight from Delhi to Pune was diverted to Surat due to alleged bird activity. The letter to PMC chief Naval Kishore Ram Dhoke raises three points with Pune’s civic authority. Firstly, it states that several temporary structures, including shops, godowns, garages, and scrap yards, have reportedly come up around the airport, potentially without required permissions. Secondly, it states that garbage dumping by unidentified people has been observed along both the eastern and western perimeter walls of the airport. Finally, the letter raises that land development activities appear to be underway in the areas around the airport without clarity on approvals or zoning compliance. “Additionally, garbage dumping at the eastern and western ends of the airport perimeter wall has led to increased bird activity in the area. These locations fall directly under the approach and departure paths of aircraft. The presence of birds poses a significant risk of bird strikes, which could result in serious safety hazards for aircraft operations,” the letter stated. The letter requests the authorities to verify the status of these establishments and activities and initiate suitable action. Speaking to The Indian Express, Dhoke said, “We, along with the Indian Air Force, have sent requests to the PMC regarding the issue. This is not just an airport matter. Security is our responsibility. The airport comes under the Indian Air Force, and they have regularly kept them (PMC) updated about these things. We have even requested the commissioner to get the garbage on both sides cleared, especially in the monsoon season, as bird activity increases. If we clean the garbage more meticulously, the situation can improve a bit.” Head of Pune Municipal Corporation’s Solid Waste Management department Sandip Kadam told The Indian Express, “We received a letter from the Airport Director three days ago. We visited the area, and there is an open private plot to the side of the airport where construction material has been dumped. We have notified them to shift it. Secondly, the airport has raised that the residents in the area are dumping food material and garbage in the area at night. We are taking the actions which will possibly finish this week and we have requested that the military also keep their rounds on.” He added, “Multiple departments like the building development department, encroachment department, solid waste management department, and airport authorities need to work together to deal with the situation.” Deepak Shastri, who was the director of the Pune Airport from 2000 to 2008, said that bird activity had increased in the last 15 years. “The area in Viman Nagar has become well-inhabited. Some areas that were empty, now have a huge population. This results in garbage accumulation.” Shastri says that an increase in restaurants, hawkers, and retail joints means that birds have more food to eat. He explained that monsoon is the breeding time for birds, when they give mating calls and fly low, increasing risk to aircraft. He recommended that the director should call for an emergency meeting of the Airport Environment Management Committee (AEMC). “The AEMC should meet immediately and form a joint inspection team. Within the airport perimeter, we have bird-scaring devices. The ATC should be very vigilant about bird activity and inform the pilots,” he added.
