Southern States
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Andhra Pradesh
Growing urbanisation hazardous to Begumpet airport: Panel
By Our Staff Reporter
HYDERABAD, DEC. 5. Begumpet Airport is in the list of 10 airfields in the country, identified by an Inter-Ministerial Committee as having hazardous environment around it because of growing urbanisation and unsanitary conditions leading to bird hits, according to Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (Training Command) of the IAF, Air Marshal T. J. Master.
He pointed out that the situation around Hakimpet Air Station, too, was a cause of concern because of the growth of civilian areas around it. In case of Dundigal Air Force Station, the position was relatively safer, thanks to the stringent measures undertaken to keep the environs clean.
The Air Marshal said it was imperative that a sense of discipline was instilled in people and sought an improvement in awareness levels among them to keep the areas clean. If sanitary conditions were clean, it would be safe for aircraft as the number of birds would be less, he said.
Mr. Master expressed concern at the high number of bird hits to aircraft that led to increasing expenditure in maintaining them. The increasing bird hits was also leading to pre-mature withdrawal of aircraft from flying, as found by the Committee on Fighter Plane Accidents.
He stressed the need for strict implementation of existing Government rules. He regretted that people invariably thronged to live around air bases, posing a hazard to aviation, both military and civilian.
The Senior Air Staff Officer-Training Command, Air Marshal B. K. Pandey, said it took crores for the Government to train a pilot and it was a pity that their lives were put to danger because of bird hits. They were more of a danger just after take-off or during landing because then the pilots could not even parachute to safety.
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