Kolkata, June 19 (IANS) Amid the recent crash of an Air India flight at Ahmedabad killing all passengers except one, the authorities of the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata now want to have a role in the process of clearance for high-rise buildings in the area of 20 km radius around the airport.

Sources aware of the development said that the airport authorities want a mandatory no-objection certificate (NOC) from them before the civic authorities concerned giving clearance to any high-rise building within that area around the airport.

Although no official notification on the matter had been issued as year, the airport authorities have started discussing the matter with the public representatives from the airport adjacent areas.

Confirming the development Rathin Ghosh, West Bengal Food and Supplies Minister and the Trinamool Congress legislator from Madhyamgram, the nearest assembly constituency to the airport, said that the main demand of the airport authorities is that the clearance for any high-rise building within the area of 20 km radius around the airport should be given by the civic authorities concerned only after the NOC from the airport officials.

“This rule is already followed by Madhyamgram municipality since it is the closest urban civic body to the airport. Now, it is to be seen what would be there from the fresh notification from the airport authorities,” Ghosh said.

Once the notification in the matter is issued, municipalities like Madhyamgram, New Barrackpore, and Uttar Dum Dum and municipal corporations like Bidhannagar and a small part of Kolkata will also come under the restrictions.

Now, the question arises on what would be the fate of the already existing high-rise buildings beyond a particular height within the area of 20 km of radius around the airport.

–IANS

src/pgh