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Author: Manju V
Publication: The Times of India
Date: June 2, 2006
It's a major danger to aviation security that has not been attended to for months now. There are at least 12 to 15 large gaping holes in the boundary wall near the Mumbai airport's runway area. The wall was constructed barely a year ago to separate the Rafiq Nagar and Vijay Nagar slums from the tarmac area and it is suspected that the slum dwellers themselves have made the holes.
The holes are large enough to give easy passage to the area where work on extending the taxiway is on. The runway from where at least 600 flights take off or land everyday, is take off or land everyday, is just a few metres away from this spot.
The wall was constructed after 5 acres of land belonging to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) was cleared by rehabilitating 2,160 slum dwellers of Rafiq Nagar at a cost of Rs 26 crore. AAI director R Treasuryvala was unavailable for comment.
Aviation sources said the extent of damage to the newly constructed walls also points to the shoddy work done by the contractor. "There are specifications for length and breadth of the airport wall and none of these seem to be adhered to," said a source. The work of clearing the land and constructing the wall was entrusted to the Shiv Shahi Punarvasan Prakalp.
"Generally the holes made by slum dwellers into the airport boundary walls are small ones. One needs to bend and crawl to get to the other side, these ones though are walk-ins," says area social activist Anil Galgali.
Only a year-and-a-half ago, a localiser, the
antenna that is part of the Instrument Landing System which guides aircraft
for landings and takeoffs, was stolen from the runway area during day time.
The incident, which affected operations at the Mumbai airport, also put the
focus on the larger issue of aviation security.
Incidentally, the localiser was installed barely 60 metres away from a CISF
post.
Despite that incident, there has been no improvement in airport security and a number of smaller thefts get reported time and again from the airline hangars in the area.
Only last year, the CISF personnel had spotted three slum dwellers scaling the wall protecting the Indian Airlines hangar located close to the operational area of the Mumbai airport and arrested one of them following a chase. According to sources, the IA hangar where aircraft underwent repairs and maintenance had seen some instances of thefts in the recent past. "The encroachers would steal scrap and metal refuse. Though nothing of significance was ever stolen, the fact that they were entering a guarded territory was serious," said the source.
Last year, a sizable portion of the airport wall near the airport colony had given away during the 26/7 flooding. "But the new wall has been constructed on the foundation of the old wall. Moreover the airport wall now encloses a stormwater drain that runs along the Kalina Kurla road. Due to this, civic officials cannot inspect and access the drain," said a source.
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