Bombay High Court slams Airport Authority of India for ‘acting irresponsibly’

The Bombay High Court has rapped the Airport Authority of India (AAI), saying that it is acting in an irresponsible manner in the hearing of a petition that alleges widespread violation of rules resulting in skyscrapers coming up in the vicinity of airports and the flight path, posing a threat to public safety and security. The court has also sought an explanation from the AAI chairman as to why his lawyer was absconding from court during hearing. Further, the HC has stayed the committee which it had appointed to tackle problems between AAI and high-rise buildings coming up in the airport’s vicinity.

A division bench of Justice V.M. Kanade and Justice M.S. Sonak was hearing the PIL filed by activist Yeswant Shenoy. In October 2015, the HC had appointed a committee to be headed by a retired HC Justice to look into allegations of violation of building and height regulations around the Juhu aerodrome and the domestic airport at Santacruz. On Monday, the court came to know that while appointing the committee in October 2015, it had asked the central government to appoint one member from the International Civil Aviation Organisation but the centre had not done the needful, which upset the bench to the extent that it stayed the committee and decided to hear the matter itself. During the hearing, the court observed, “Unfortunately, builders are not concerned about public safety”.

Also during hearing of the petition, AAI’s lawyer left the court without informing it, which once again angered the bench which directed the AAI Chairman to give an explanation as to why the lawyer had gone missing during the hearing.