Bird Strike Threat Looms Over Mumbai Airport As Meat Shops Operate Illegally Within 10-km Radius Despite Court Orders
An immediate and serious danger to thousands of passengers and property due to a very high possibility of plane accidents caused by bird strikes exists at Mumbai Airport.
The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) has reportedly issued licenses to hundreds of meat shops to operate within a 10-kilometer radius of the airport, in gross violation of Section 10(1)(A) of the Aircraft Act, 1934 and Rule 91(1) of the Aircraft Rules 1937. This also violates their own Development Control (DC) Rules.
Despite clear directions from the Bombay High Court in PIL 43 of 2010 to remove garbage and prevent activities that attract birds, the MCGM has failed to implement proper compliance. No significant steps seem to have been taken to stop this menace, and massive slaughtering at shops is ongoing in and around the airport.
What is more alarming is that a list of these establishments, which were given permission within the 10-kilometer radius, was also submitted by the MCGM before the High Court as part of their policy for temporary slaughter of animals during Bakrid, for judicial scrutiny in WP (L) Number 2714 of 2020.
India's aviation sector is rapidly growing, with a record 14.2 crore passengers in 2023, and the government is strictly promoting regional connectivity through schemes like UDAN. Given this, it is critical that aviation safety remains paramount. Mumbai's T1 and T2 terminals manage a daily volume of air traffic with 152 million passengers traveling through them, and on average, 950 to 1000 commercial flights operate daily. Furthermore, Mumbai skies are constantly active with private and trainer flights from Juhu Airport, alongside the substantial presence of defence aircraft and helicopters.
Bird strikes, while occurring at many stages, are most frequent and dangerous during the take-off and landing phases when aircraft are most vulnerable.
It is a persistent issue that there is a lack of coordination among authorities responsible for the aviation sector and municipal cooperation.
The Minister of State in the Ministry of Civil Aviation, while answering an unstarred question on December 18, 2023, in the Rajya Sabha, highlighted a high number of bird strike risks in Mumbai.
Recently, an FIR was registered at Jogeshwari police station bearing number 265 of 2025 on June 15, 2025. This FIR was filed under Section 10 of the Aircraft Act, Section 3, Section 11(1C), and Section 11(1B) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act, and Section 325 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita of 2023. The FIR was lodged against a mutton shop who was slaughtering and selling meat within the 10-kilometer prohibited and restricted radius of the airport. After the FIR, the animals were seized and sent to an animal shelter. Even after the registration of this FIR, the offenders are emboldened and again started slaughtering animals in the same shop after a few days, and another FIR came to be registered on July 6, 2025, against the same accused.
The situation is alarming, and any incident can happen at any point in time. Various PILs are pending in the court; however, the orders of the PILs are not being implemented, which is resulting in a multiplication of petitions in the Bombay High Court.
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