The Bombay High Court was informed on Thursday that there are over 100 buildings near the domestic and international airports, which violate air safety norms.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) told a division Bench of Justices V.M. Kanade and Swapna Joshi that these buildings are around four kilometres from the airports and that this was found in a survey carried out by the Mumbai International Airport Limited. Replying to a query from the court on Wednesday, the advocate appearing for the DGCA said the height of the buildings around the airports cannot be more than 56.9 metres. The court then said the height of a building should be measured from the sea level and that the authorities should obtain the necessary equipment for this.
The Bench was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Yeshwant Shenoy. The PIL alleges that the Airport Authority of India has given height clearance to about 200 buildings in violation of its regulations and the DGCA’s.
