If you find a man at the top of a tree hunting for something near the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, he is most likely to be an Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) worker looking for birds’ nest in an effort to curb the bird menace at the airport.
The decision to displace the nests of birds like kites around the airport was taken during a review meeting that was chaired by principal secretary of Forest and Environment Department Dr SK Nanda and attended by officials of AMC and Airport Authority of India (AAI) on Friday. “The birds hover near the airport thereby affecting the operations. So we have decided to ensure that the birds don’t set up a nest on trees near the airport,” said a statement issued after the meeting. The meeting also decided to buy laser guns and pyro-technique pistol to shoo away the birds from near the airport after trials showed that they were effective in bird hazard management.
However the exact number of laser guns and pyro-technique pistols to be purchased will be decided at a meeting on April 15.
To avoid bird hit incidents at the airport, the meeting also called for the need to relocate the cantonment dumping ground after joint consultation with the AMC and cantonment officials. The AMC has been running awareness campaign to prevent citizens from littering near the airport. A decision has also been made to prevent the growth of insects and restrict the growth of grass at the airport which attracts the birds.
