Its a dogs day at HAL Airport

Its a dogs day at HAL Airport
By Hemanth C S,DH News Service ,Bangalore:
A day after 25 passengers of a Kingfisher Airline plane had a narrow escape after it hit a stray dog at the HAL Airport, dogs continued to have a free run across the airport tarmac, putting the lives of hundreds of passengers at risk.

A recce around the boundary wall of the HAL Airport by Deccan Herald on Friday revealed how dogs strayed into the premises, that too close to the runway.

The uncovered vents at the storm-water drains, which run across the boundary wall on Wind Tunnel Road, Murgesh Palya and Challaghatta, are the main entry points for the canines. The vents are large enough to allow bigger animals like cattle, or even human beings into the airport premises.

Guards manning the boundary walls said it was impossible for them to keep a vigil on dogs with the vents remaining open. Besides, the tall grass near the runway makes it difficult to spot the canines and chase them away, they said.

The AAI officials blamed the mushrooming human habitation around the airport and dumping of waste in its vicinity, for stray dogs and scavenger birds posing a huge threat to flight movements at the airport.

Devanahalli bracing

Meanwhile, at the BIA in Devanahalli, authorities said airside security measures would be stringent in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation standards, which bar entry of any unauthorised personnel or stray animals into the airport’s operational areas (airside of the airport).

“The height of the boundary walls is in accordance with the prescription of the BCAS (Bureau of Civil Aviation Security) regulation. Perimeter watch towers have also been constructed around the boundary wall. A wildlife controller has been designated to control the menace of stray animals, if any, or birds entering the airside,” BIAL officials told Deccan Herald. Besides, the runway, taxiways and apron would also be inspected four times a day to ensure they are kept clean and clear of any stray animals, foreign objects or unauthorised persons or vehicles.