TIRUCHY: Alarmed at the plan for a mobile tower on a two-storeyed building in their locality, residents of Rajaganapathy Nagar that is near the international airport, seek immediate intervention of district authorities for stopping its installation.
"The streets in Rajaganapathy Nagar face the approach area of the runway. Therefore, tall buildings are not allowed in the locality. The permissible height for buildings in our area is 28 feet. So, if a tower is coming up on a two-storeyed building in such a restricted area, it would affect the safety of flight operations. Therefore, we recently filed a mass petition with the District Collector," said Shahul Hameed, a resident.
Another resident, Peter John, said, “As the area is close to the airport runway, an aircraft may hit the mobile tower. It would lead to a big disaster. Apart from the safety of passengers, it would put the residents at risk. Therefore, we requested the building owner several times to stop installation of the tower. But he has ignored it and is going ahead with the installation of the tower.”
P Nagarajan, another resident, also echoed his views.
It may be recalled that in 2018, a Dubai-bound flight that took off from the airport smashed its boundary wall and navigation system equipment. The incident occurred hardly 2 km away from Rajaganapathy Nagar.
When TNIE contacted the building owner, T Muthu, he affirmed the plan for installation of the tower and claimed that he is in possession of all the required clearances. "I provide the space for a private company to install their tower over my building. The firm installing their tower took necessary permission which I am in possession of," he said.
Meanwhile, Corporation officials said the issue is already under perusal. When we raised the matter with airport officials, they said they will also look into the issue, they added.
"We are regularly taking steps to ensure flight safety. If some structure comes up and affects the safety of the aircraft, we will immediately raise the matter with the director general of civil aviation and the district authorities. If our team finds that a tower is causing safety risk for the aircraft, we will take immediate take steps," a senior airport official said.