Plea in Delhi HC to stay AAI's height clearance panel proceedings

A plea on Wednesday moved in the Delhi High Court seeking a stay on the proceedings before a committee of the Airports Authority of India, which approves the height clearance of buildings around the IGI Airport here. The application came up for hearing before a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar, which refrained from passing any interim order and listed the matter for hearing on March 20. The application was moved in a PIL which sought demolition of hundreds of buildings above the prescribed height around the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport here on the grounds of threat to aircraft and lives of flyers. The petitioner, Yeshwanth Shenoy, moved the plea seeking an urgent stay on the proceedings before the Appellate Committee on Height Clearances, saying the panel comprised senior aviation ministry and DGCA officials who have no role in giving height approvals. The application contended that according to the ministry, it is the Airport Authority of India (AAI) which has to give the no-objection certificates to tall buildings and the committee was set up to deal with grievances of persons who have not received the approvals. Shenoy, in his petition, has alleged that collusion of the authorities with the real estate lobbies has led to the current situation. He has also claimed that the Delhi International Airport Ltd, which manages the IGI Airport, has failed to conduct an obstacle study as mandated under the law. The petitioner has also alleged in his plea that the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, Central lndustrial Security Force and the Delhi Police have not taken airport security seriously.