A residential highrise complex proposed to be built next to the Hindon Air Base in Ghaziabad poses the risk of leading to air crashes as well as exposing the defence installation to terrorist attack if allowed to go ahead. Amazingly, the builders – the SVP Group – are aware that the proposed complex, Gulmohur Greens, violates the Aircraft Act of 1934 and actually use this fact to tout the project in the brochure. “Located right next to the Hindon Air base, which does not permit the building of sky-scrapers in the area, Gulmohur Greens is the highest project in the vicinity, providing you with an unrestricted view of the greens and an unparalled vision of the horizon,” says the brochure.
The existence of the brochure and the section on Gulmohur Greens on the company website (www.svpgroup.in) clearly indicate that the project has already been sanctioned by the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) and that the Air Force has not blocked it.
According to Section 9-A, sub-section (i) and (ii) of the Act, the Central government may direct the competent authorities that no building or structure be constructed or erected or tree be planted on any land within a radius of 20 km from the “aerodrome reference point”. Section 2A stipulates that “aerodrome reference point” means a designated point established in the horizontal plane at or near the geometric centre of that part of the aerodrome reserved for the departure or landing of aircraft.
The Hindon air base is a strategic defence installation. It houses fighter aircraft and helicopter squadrons. It also aims to provide security cover to the nation’s capital in the wake of an air invasion. The air base is used for emergency landing and take-off of fighters. Hindon played a major role in the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971 when numerous air attacks on enemy targets were launched from it.
The proposed highrises will endanger fighter pilots’ lives by compromising safety during landing and take-off. The top floors (the 23-acre complex will have buildings with seven floors as well as duplex apartments with eight to nine floors) may well provide a spy base for terrorist and anti-national elements.
Safety considerations prompted the Air Force authorities to construct only three-storey flats within the premises of the air base. Further, the GDA has in the past denied permission to build a fourth floor to residents of the nearby colonies – Rajendra Nagar and Lajpat Nagar. In the case of the SVP Group, though, it broke with precedence.
Two IAF Public Relations Officers contacted by gfiles merely said they did not know of any such construction near Hindon and that Hindon did not fall within their jurisdiction, anyway.
What the Aircraft Act says…
9A. …(i)… no building or structure shall be constructed or erected, or no tree shall be planted, on any land within such radius, not exceeding twenty kilometres from the aerodrome reference point, as may be specified in the notification and where there is any building, structure or tree on such land, also direct the owner or the person having control of such building, structure or tree to demolish such building or structure or, as the case may be, to cut such tree within such period as may be specified in the notification; (ii)… no building or structure higher than such height as may be specified in the notification shall be constructed or erected, or no tree, which is likely to grow or ordinarily grows higher than such height as may be specified in the notification, shall be planted, on any land within such radius, not exceeding twenty kilometres from the aerodrome reference point, as may be specified in the notification and where the height of any building or structure or tree on such land is higher than the specified height, also direct the owner or the person having control of such building, structure or tree to reduce the height thereof so as not to exceed the specified height, within such period as may be specified in the notification.
(Questionnaires sent by gfiles to the Chairman of GDA and the SVP group were not replied to.)
