World | India
Qutub Minar gets aircraft jitters
Vibrations from aircraft flying near the Qutub Minar in the national capital are damaging the 12th century minaret, the Archaeological Survey of India has said and asked the airport authority to immediately change the flight path.
- IANS
- Published: 22:56 June 23, 2009
New Delhi: Vibrations from aircraft flying near the Qutub Minar in the national capital are damaging the 12th century minaret, the Archaeological Survey of India has said and asked the airport authority to immediately change the flight path.
The ASI last month wrote to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to highlight how low-flying aircraft could endanger the 72.5-metre red sandstone monument, one of the biggest tourist attractions in the city, and stated that a diversion in the flight route was imperative.
"The vibrations caused by the low-flying aircraft near the monument are affecting the structure and we have asked the AAI to change the flying route immediately," B.R. Mani, ASI joint director general, said.
According to Mani, the problem began in September 2008 when a new runway, the third at the airport, started functioning at the Indira Gandhi International Airport.
The 4.4-kilometre runway is the longest in the country and capable of handling the largest aircraft, which includes the Airbus A380 superjumbo and the Antonov An225.
With the new runway, the flight handling capacity of the airport has gone up to 65 to 70 flights an hour.
"After the new runway opened, the route for landing aircraft was shifted about 2.5 km away (towards Qutub Minar) from the approach route to the main runway," an airport official said.
"It [Qutab Minar] is an old monument and the low flying zone is very close to it; that causes repeated vibrations and can damage the monument," a senior archaeologist with the ASI added.
An AAI official, which manages airports across the country, said a study would be conducted if there was "anything to it".
"I don't know about this yet. But if there is anything then we will conduct the required study and look into it," V. Somasundaram, AAI executive director of air traffic management, said.
Last January, historians raised concerns that the monument, built by Qutubuddin Aibak in 1173, which already tilts 25 inches to the southwest, is in danger of leaning further due to rainwater seepage.
Acting quickly, the ASI cemented the area around the structure with lime to make it watertight. It also set up six underground water traps at a depth of 12 feet to prevent any water from reaching the 10-foot deep foundation of the structure.
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