NEW DELHI: The deadly Air India crash in Ahmedabad has brought fresh scrutiny to illegal meat shops operating near the under-construction Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), a social organisation has said.Despite a warning from India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), these shops continue to function, the group claimed, according to news agency PTI.The concern centres on the potential for bird strikes caused by the slaughter and sale of meat in close proximity to the airport. Two Indian carriers, IndiGo and Aksa Air, have already announced plans to shift part of their operations to the Navi Mumbai airport once it opens — expected in August. The Navi Mumbai International Airport is being developed by NMIAL, a joint venture between Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL) and the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO), with a 74:26 shareholding ratio. NGO NatConnect, which has repeatedly flagged the issue of meat sales and slaughter in Ulwe — an area within three kilometres of the airport site — has once again raised an alarm, citing safety concerns.

It has urged the DGCA to press local authorities to address the matter urgently. “The slaughter attracts big birds, such as kites, which can pose threats to the aircraft operations,” said NatConnect director B N Kumar in a statement. The renewed concern comes in the wake of the Air India crash, in which a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 242 people, went down in Ahmedabad’s Meghaninagar area shortly after take-off on Thursday. All 270 people onboard, including 12 crew members, were killed. Investigators are probing the cause of the crash, and a bird strike is among the possible reasons being explored. Kumar said that the aviation regulator had previously acknowledged the issue. “The aerodrome operator has been advised to act against the slaughter that can attract birds,” the DGCA said in response to an earlier complaint. However, Kumar alleged that "there has been no action against the illegal slaughter of animals and the open sale of mutton and chicken." The NGO also pointed to a recent notice from the Aeronautical Information Service (AIS), which is run by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The NOTAM — or Notice to Airmen — flagged “lack of operational readiness” at the upcoming airport, but, according to NatConnect, it did not mention the illegal slaughter in its risk assessments. The NOTAM did list 225 obstacles around the airport site, including 86 buildings, 79 hilltops, 23 power transmission towers, 12 mobile towers and eight floodlight poles. The Maharashtra government, through its Aerodrome Environment Monitoring Committee (AEMC) chaired by CIDCO, has already issued a directive banning slaughter activities within a 10-km radius of the airport, the NGO said. Kumar said that after raising the issue with the Airports Authority of India, he was told the matter had been passed on to relevant officials at NMIAL. However, no action has been taken so far by CIDCO, which administers the Ulwe area. "We have drawn the attention of CIDCO's chief vigilance officer over such a grave lapse (10-km radius norm)," he added.