Ahlul Bayt News Agency (ABNA.ir), The Airports Authority of India has written to the state government to shift a mosque from the edge of Calcutta airport’s runway as it poses a “safety and security” threat.
“We have requested the district administration to relocate the mosque as it is directly in the flight path, causing safety and security hazards,” airport director R. Srinivasan told Metro.
The mosque, around 25m high, is directly in the path of aircraft landing on the secondary runway. Around 400m of the runway cannot be used by the aircraft because of the mosque located 200m from the edge of the northern end.
“Most flights on the secondary runway land from that side. They run the risk of overshooting the runway as the full capacity can’t be used with the mosque,” said H.N. Mishra, the senior air safety officer (east and north-east) of the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA).
Calcutta airport officials have been urging the state government since 1986 to shift the mosque. “It (shifting of the mosque) is a sensitive issue. It will be good for the airport if it is shifted out of the runway zone but all political parties and stakeholders have to be involved in the process,” said Vinod Kumar, the district magistrate of North 24-Parganas.
In 2005, unable to relocate the mosque, the authorities increased the length of the secondary runway by 440m towards the northern end. There was a 632m stretch between the mosque and the runway edge. Later, the authorities decided to stretch the secondary runway by another 400m on the opposite side.
“The touchdown point of the runway had to be shifted because of the mosque. Even then, at times, aircraft miss the touchdown point and once the pilot realises that he cannot land, the flight goes around,” added Mishra.
After the modernisation of the Calcutta airport is completed in 2011, bigger aircraft would land here, heightening the safety issue.
Also, the secondary runway is now being used only during the day and the bulk of the operations are still handled by the main runway. The authorities are installing Category-I Instrument Landing System on the secondary runway. “Once night-landing facility is introduced, the problem posed by the location of the mosque would become more acute,” said an airport official.
The mosque’s authorities have reiterated that they would not agree to a shift. “It was built years before the airport came into existence,” said one official of the masjid committee. “And all those entering the mosque have been issued security passes after proper scrutiny,” he added.
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