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Informist, Wednesday, Mar. 19, 2025

NEW DELHI – The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the government, Airports Authority of India, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, and others on a public interest litigation seeking directions to respondents to take immediate and effective measures to prevent or reduce incidents of bird strike with aircraft and implement bird avoidance model at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. The high court will hear the case next on May 14.

"Having regard to the concerns raised in this PIL (public interest litigation), let notices be issued to the respondents. Let replies be filed by all the respondents not only on para wise reply to the petition but also details of the steps taken in respect of the concerns raised in the writ petition," said the bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay and Justice Tushar Rao Gadela. Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi is operated by Delhi International Airport Ltd., a joint venture consortium comprising GMR Airports Ltd., Airports Authority of India, and others.

The petitioner Gauri Maulekhi, an animal welfare activist, said that bird strikes with aircraft at the Indira Gandhi airport not only pose a threat to life and the safety of passengers in the aircraft, but also to residents of the neighbouring areas in the event of a crash. During 2018-2023, the total number of bird strikes at the Indira Gandhi airport, at 705, far surpassed the number of bird strikes reported across 29 airports in six different states, said the petitioner.

Maulekhi said the primary reason for such incidents is the presence of slaughterhouses, meat shops, dairy farms, and environmental pollution around the Indira Gandhi airport. The operation of slaughterhouses, meat shops, dairy farms and disposal of the remnants around the Indira Gandhi airport is contrary to various statutes, said Maulekhi. The Aircraft Rules, 1937, and the Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak, 2024 prohibit slaughter or flaying of animals or disposal of any garbage related thereto, which is likely to attract birds or animals, within a radius of 10 km of the aerodrome reference point, the petitioner said.

The petitioner has sought directions to the government to ensure closure of all illegal slaughterhouses, meat shop clusters and other prohibited establishments within 10 km radius of the aerodrome reference point of the Indira Gandhi airport. The petitioner has also sought directions to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to impose penalties on illegal meat shop operators or owners.  End

Reported by Surya Tripathi

Edited by Ashish Shirke

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