Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Friday met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi and petitioned him to relax height restrictions around defence airports in Bengaluru.

In his letter, Mr. Shivakumar drew the attention of the Defence Minister that defence airports in Bengaluru have been imposing “excessive restrictions while granting NOC for construction within the 20km range of the airports”. 

“Bengaluru is one of the fastest growing cities in the world and HAL airport is located in the core area of Bengaluru where there is a huge demand for development and the additional restrictions being imposed are hampering the development in the areas around the airport,” he stated in the letter.

Additional restrictions 

The State government has already written multiple letters to authorities concerned in the Ministry of Defence raising these concerns. 

In a letter written by Tushar Giri Nath, Additional Chief Secretary, Urban Development Department, to Sajeev Kumar, Secretary, Defence Production, Department of Defence, on April 2, it was stated that as per rules, the height of buildings around defence airports is capped at 150 metres in a radius of 15 km, but HAL had been imposing the height restriction in a radius of 20 km. “This restriction is a virtual substitution of this G.S.R 751(E) which only restricts height to 150m within 15km range of the defence airports,” the letter stated.

Further, he said, “The authorities representing the defence airports informed that under rule 5(2) of the G.S.R 751(E) rules, the authorised officers of the defence airports are allowed to impose additional restrictions; hence they are restricting the height based on their calculations. The HAL authorities explained that as HAL airport is being used for test flying of helicopters, as decided by a committee of pilots, additional restrictions have been incorporated in Bengaluru.”

Minutes of a meeting between the State and HAL authorities indicate that these additional restrictions have been imposed only in Bengaluru and not in other cities. The additional restrictions imposed by HAL amounts to putting about 78% of additional area within the 15-20 km radius to such additional height restrictions, the letter stated.

The State government has suggested that HAL shift helicopter testing to the HAL facility at Tumakuru, minutes of the meeting attached with the letter indicated.

Appeal for Minister’s intervention

Mr. Shivakumar has appealed to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to examine the issue and “direct officials concerned to take necessary action to resolve the same in the interest of both flight safety and development demands of the city”.