Bhubaneswar: The Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) has agreed to trim or remove 150 tall coconut trees from its land adjacent to Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) in exchange for Rs 15 lakh as compensation. This decision follows a directive from BPIA citing safety concerns for aircraft take-off and landing.
Airport Director Raises Safety Concerns
BPIA director Prasanna Pradhan stated that pilots of several airlines had recently expressed concerns about the height of the coconut trees, which posed a risk during landings from the Baramunda-OUAT side. The trees, located near the threshold of Runway-14, fall directly under the critical approach and take-off flight path.
OUAT's Demands and Difficult Decision
In a letter to the commerce and transport department, OUAT revealed that a meeting on November 20 last year decided to prune and remove the trees. The university noted that the land is used for coconut research, seed production, germplasm conservation, and practical field training. Despite this, OUAT made the difficult decision to sacrifice 150 trees and requested compensation of Rs 10,000 per tree to cover replantation costs.
Repeated attempts to contact the OUAT registrar for further comment were unsuccessful.
Legal Mandate Under Aircraft Act
In a letter dated May 15, 2026, BPIA director Pradhan informed OUAT that the plantation acts as a nesting ground for birds, increasing the risk of catastrophic bird strikes. He cited Section 9-A of the Aircraft Act, 1934, which mandates that no tree shall be planted or allowed to grow within a 20 km radius of the aerodrome reference point (ARP). The responsibility to remove obstructions lies with the landowner.
This move aims to enhance safety for aircraft operations at BPIA, which has seen an increasing trend of wildlife and bird menace.
