Thiruvananthapuram: Kitchen bins to airport's rescue

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has granted its approval for the proposal of the Thiruvananthapuram city Corporation to install kitchen bins at households near airports and aerobic bins in selected areas. The Rs 53 lakh project, which is aimed at addressing the garbage menace near the airport that causes bird hits, will be initiated as a Corporate Social Responsibility project by the AAI. “The AAI board has cleared the proposal. We will soon begin the tendering process for the project in association with the city Corporation,” said Thiruvananthapuram international airport director Mr. George Tharakan.

He also expressed the hope that the new project would be a lasting solution to bird hits, which were comparatively high in Thiruvananthapuram airport. Earlier the AAI had initiated construction of a modern fish market at Perunelli near Muttathara in 2013. The '50 lakh project was aimed at addressing the bird menace near the approach path of the runway. Dumping of garbage from households and meat shops around the airport had remained unresolved despite repeated pleas from the AAI. Though a centralised waste treatment plant was earlier suggested by the AAI, it was dropped because of the difficulty in identifying suitable land.

Subsequently the Corporation mooted setting up of kitchen bins in households in four wards adjacent to the airport. This apart, aerobic bins would also be set up in selected spots. Beatification of areas near the compound wall of the airport where garbage used to be dumped also forms part of the project. Ever since garbage collection in the city came to a standstill, the airport had witnessed an increased threat from birds as local people dumped garbage near the compound wall of the airport.  While the permissible bird hit incidents of an airport should be only two a year, in Thiruvananthapuram seven bird hit cases occurred during this year.