Rise in stray dogs around airport a worry for flyers

PUNE: Flyers and aviation experts are worried with the rise in the number of stray dogs around the Lohegaon airfield.

While several passengers complained about spotting the stray dogs outside the arrival and departure gates of the airport, the experts feared that the animals could pose a threat to the aviation activities.

“Any of these stray dogs getting into the airside is a threat to the aviation activities and can also cause an accident,” aviation analyst and expert Dhairyashil Vandekar said in an e-mail to municipal commissioner Saurabh Rao.

In his communication two weeks ago, Vandekar said he recently spotted stray dogs’ puppies in the airport parking lot (number 1). “This indicates that more effective action is required by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to sterilize the stray dogs to ensure that their population does not increase,” he said.

“The stray dogs need to be captured and relocated somewhere far from the airport to ensure safety of flight operations,” he said.

Rishabh Joshi, a frequent flyer, said he has seen dogs sleeping outside the arrival and departure gates and near the airlines’ counters and eateries. “It will be an embarrassment for the authorities if a dog ever manages to sneak into the terminal building,” he said.

Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials said they were taking measures, though the responsibility to check the menace was with another agency. “There are quite a few establishments of the AAI around the airport. People living there have been asked to ensure proper garbage disposal,” an AAI official said.

“The problem is that there are many other establishments in the vicinity. These establishments house many shops and eateries. We can’t monitor everything. It is the PMC’s responsibility to ensure proper garbage collection and sterilization of the stray dogs,” he said.

“All food outlets on the airport premises have been told to store and dispose of garbage properly,” the official said.

Public health expert and PMC assistant medical officer (health) Sanjeev Wavare said, “We station our dog squad van outside the airport every Saturday. We catch the stray dogs and shift them elsewhere.”