Shiva statue: Trust told to relocate or reduce height

According to the AAI,the NoC was issued to the Trust for the Shiva statue to be 74 feet above the ground. But the statue stands at 80 feet — 65 feet of the statue plus the 15-foot pedestal.

While the statue was built in 1994,it became an obstruction for pilots only after IGIA’s new runway 29-11 became operational in 2008. Pilots,when landing from the eastern or NH-8-side,have to keep the statue in mind before beginning the final descent as it lies in the funnel area of landing,the point where an aircraft begins to descend. Officially,pilots need to fly above the obstruction,keeping in mind the normal descent profile located at a displacement of 1,400 metres from the tip of the runway. This also makes Asia’s longest 4,430 metres long runway shorter by 1,610 metres.

“Effectively,the Landing Distance Available (LDA) of runway 29 (NH-8 side) is 2,820 metres,” a senior official from Delhi International Airport Limited said. On the other hand,the LDA available on the airport’s shortest runway,27-9,is 2,661 metres,only 159 metres less than the longest runway.

“Even if just the pedestal of the Shiva statue is removed to bring the entire structure down to the height specified in the NoC,it would reduce the displacement by at least 400 metres,” a senior Air Traffic Control official said.

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