A month after BJP Lok Sabha member Shatrughan Sinha raised the issue of ‘short runway’ at Patna airport and stressed on the “need to take steps so as to avoid Mangalore-type air crash,” the Airport Authority of India (AAI) has identified 101 obstructions on either side of the runway which are dangerous for aircraft landing here.
The obstructions include 3,700 huge trees around the Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park, high-rise residential buildings, railway cabin, overhead traction lines, mobile towers, a temple, a tall light mast on a burial ground, advertisement hoardings, streetlights and electrical poles.
Besides, the AAI has identified the Secretariat clock tower — the trademark of Patna — as another obstacle which is 135 metres high against a permissible limit of 40 metres.
The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has given the Bihar government a deadline of June 15 to act, failing which it will re-notify the landing distance available, making the airport unfit for operation of bigger aircrafts like Airbus 320 and Boeing 737.
Shortest runway
Though it was named as Jayaprakash Narayan International Airport a decade back, Patna still has one of the shortest runway in the country. Officially, the total length of runway is 6,409 feet, but only 5,061 feet is in use. The rich shrubbery on the eastern end and the railway cabin with its overhead traction lines on the south-western part reduces the effective runway length by 439 feet and 909 feet respectively.
The state government has already initiated measures to remove some of the obstructions, but it is not in a mood to touch the Secretariat clock tower. Besides, the chief secretary has suggested the airport director to take up the issue of railways with the Centre.
As far as the cutting and pruning of trees at Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park is concerned, the State Forest Department has identified 2,917 trees, but it needs clearance from the Centre as the park is a protected forest zone.
“We have already issued notices for removal of illegal hoardings and are in the process of issuing notices to owners of residential buildings where the height is beyond permissible limit,” said Pankaj Pal, Commissioner of Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC).
Crash course
It may be recalled that on July 17, 2000, an Alliance Air flight CD 7412 carrying 58 persons from Kolkata to Patna enroute Delhi had crashed in the Patna’s densely populated area of Gardanibagh, killing all the passengers on board.
The aircraft, while landing at Patna, missed the runway while taking a 360 degree turn without maintaining the right altitude and hit the residential quarters. The crash had exposed the shortcomings of the Patna airport, particularly its proximity to the zoo and short runway (not feasible for landing aircrafts like Airbus 321, Airbus 300 or Boeing 747).
Air Marshal P Raj Kumar, who investigated the crash, recommended either relocation of airport or expansion of the runway, apart from adopting other safety procedures.