By Sahil Makkar, IANS
New Delhi : Not many know that an expensive new terminal and runway coming up at the international airport in the capital has dealt a death blow to a wildlife habitat spread over 3,000 acres of land on the city’s edge.
The area dug up and fenced off for the new T3 terminal at the Indira Gandhi International Airport was once home to over 63 bird species, 60 blue bulls, packs of jackals, wild dogs and wild cats.
It is located just behind the Centaur Hotel and opposite Hotel Uppal’s Orchid, with a road in between.
“The area and water resources used to be a perfect natural habitat for birds and animals before DIAL started the construction of a new airport terminal and runway here,” said Baiju Raj, a biologist with Wildlife SOS, an NGO, awarded the task of relocating blue bulls from the area to the Asola Wildlife Sanctuary on the outskirts of the capital.
DIAL is Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), a joint consortium of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), GMR Group, Frankfurt Airport and Malaysian Airport, which is developing T3 at an estimated cost of Rs.300 billion (approx $7.6 billion).
“The forest area in the country is already shrinking. According to government norms it should be over 33 percent but figures show it is less than 12 percent. Cutting short forest area is a natural loss, it will certainly affect the food chain system,” Raj told IANS, adding that the airport authorities have all clearances and permissions from the departments concerned.
“In the past six months we have trans-located at least 52 neelgais (blue bulls) to the Asola Wildlife Sanctuary after capturing them psychically, as tranquillisers could prove lethal for them. Five neelgais still remain and the process of safe relocation is still under way,” Raj said.
“The bird species have now flown elsewhere due to the destruction of water resources in the area, but peacocks are still there.
“Another NGO that is assisting in relocation work has captured six jackals, 10 wild dogs and 10 wild cats. These animals will also be relocated,” Raj said.
Rahul Kaul, director (species) with the Wildlife Trust of India, an NGO, said: “Destroying the natural habitat of animals and continuous clearing of Delhi’s (forested) ridge areas will certainly have an impact on climate change.
“We do agree that sometimes we have to compromise for development, but the airport authorities could have chosen some alternative ways. It’s a real cause of concern,” he said.
Raj admitted that the airport authorities fulfilled their responsibility by providing resources to Wildlife SOS to relocate the animals.
DIAL’s spokesman Arun Arora said: “There should be no hue and cry as it was not forest land at all. The land, around 5,000 acres, belongs to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the existing airport is built on over 2,000 acres.
“When we started building the new terminal, runway and taxiway on the remaining land to expand the current operation, we found neelgais and other animals there.
To continue the project, we approached the wildlife department and the concerned authorities for their permission to relocate them to Asola.”
“We have already spent millions of rupees for their safe relocation and the work is almost complete,” he added.
While the land belongs to the airport authorities, the new terminal will certainly come up at a big cost to the animals.