18 bird-feeding spots around Ahmedabad airport shut down

Ahmedabad: After the deadly AI 171 plane crash over a medical hostel in Meghaninagar on June 12 last year, authorities have moved to crack down on bird feeding around the city airport. Acting on orders from the Ahmedabad Airport Environment Committee, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has identified and shut down 18 bird-feeding sites in the vicinity of the airport, deploying round-the-clock teams to enforce the ban. Violators face fines under the existing law.Although the cause of the crash remains officially undetermined, the Airport Environment Committee has ordered an immediate halt to bird feeding in the funnel areas used during aircraft landings and take-offs to prevent bird hits.In response, the AMC banned bird feeding on major roads and open sites surrounding the airport, with five major feeding spots within a 2km radius of the crash site among the first to be closed.The 18 closed locations span a wide swathe of the area around the airport and the crash site. They include spots on Ghoda Camp Road, Ghevar Circle, Shahibaug Dafnala open plot, Airport Road, near Sadar Bazaar, opposite Sardarnagar Police Station and the Joint Interrogation Centre, and spots near Bhadreshwar Housing Society Kotarpur Road and Aishree Khodiyar Mata Temple among others.Authorities have also flagged a specific hazard on Ghoda Camp Road, where vehicles carrying grain from nearby godowns frequently spill grain on the road, inadvertently attracting large flocks of birds. Precautions to prevent grain spillage have been advised.The crackdown comes after years of inadequate enforcement. In July 2024, then-AMC commissioner M Thennanarasan had directed municipal officials to identify bird-feeding spots on roads and public places across the city. However, no meaningful action followed. These spots across public roads and open spaces have continued to draw large gatherings of birds, raising both aviation safety concerns and public health risks.The legal framework to act has existed even longer. The AMC’s health and solid waste department first drafted public health bylaws in 2012, which came into force in 2013 under various provisions of the Gujarat Provincial Municipal Corporation Act, 1949. Provision 50 1(7) of these bylaws explicitly prohibits the feeding of birds or animals in public spaces, with a penalty of Rs 100 for violations. But enforcement of these bylaws has remained largely absent.In Jan, AMC’s cattle nuisance control department (CNCD) had banned bird and animal feeding across the Sabarmati Riverfront Project area, its connecting roads, and adjoining open spaces. A 10-member task force was constituted to eliminate feeding spots and tackle public littering along the riverfront. With teams now deployed around the clock near the airport and legal provisions firmly in place, the AMC faces pressure to ensure the enforcement that eluded authorities for years does not falter again.