Dinesh Kamath's news item 'Aircrafts will create problem for birds, say wildlife specialists' that was published in Newsband

Aircrafts will create problem for birds, say wildlife specialists

By Dinesh Kamath

NAVI MUMBAI: An environment ministry’s wildlife specialist committee refused to approve the airport on the ground of its proximity to Karnala, the only bird sanctuary in Western Ghats.

City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) had said that the bird sanctuary was around 10 kms away and hence there should be no harm for the airport to get approval. They also claimed that the slow speed of the aircrafts while landing and take-off will not have any impact on the birds.

But the local ecologists and Maharashtra chief wildlife warden were not of the same opinion. They said that the proposed airport area has bird habitats around and this could cause danger to the passengers. They questioned as to how the airport plan was approved without any bird study.

The corporation had got environment clearance from the ministry two years ago in spite of the fact that any project within 10 kms of a protected area needs mandatory wildlife approval.

CIDCO is now asked to seek the wildlife approval although the Maharashtra wildlife board headed by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan had approved the project this January with some conditions. CIDCO was also asked to seek Centre’s approval considering the fact that the airport would have adverse impact on the birds. After all, the ecologists said, international airport was no ordinary project but it is a project of national importance. The members of the National Board for Wildlife were opposing the idea of having an airport so close to a home to many migratory bird species and ecologically sound area.

It is now decided that a site inspection would be conducted to find out whether the birds would pose danger to airplanes or vice versa.

Navi Mumbai airport, it seems, is having constant problems with environment ministry. Earlier, the ministry had refused to give environment clearance to the project considering its impact on mangroves and creeks.

The then environment minister Jairam Ramesh, then civil aviation minister Praful Patel and Maharashtra CM Chavan had many rounds of discussion on this matter.

It is a fact that Navi Mumbai airport is bound to ease pressure on Mumbai international airport but the environment related problem is making one wonder whether the airport, which was scheduled to be built by 2017, would come up on time.