Many such structures have come up illegally in a 5-km radius, says complainant

High-rise buildings close to HAL airport have come under the scanner after the HAL police received a complaint that several such structures had come up “illegally” within a 5-km radius of the airport.

A special police team from Whitefield Division has been formed to probe into the complaint by Bharath Yadav, a resident of Virgo Nagar, who said that high-rise buildings were a threat to VVIP movement and Indian Air Force flights from the airport.

Mr. Yadav told The Hindu that following the crash of a fighter jet near the airport in February in which two pilots were killed, he checked official guidelines for violations. “Guidelines state that buildings should not be more than 20 storeys. However, there are many buildings above this height. This is a gross violation of the rules,” he said.

Based on the complaint, the HAL police registered an FIR on Friday, charging unnamed builders and contractors under Section 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and Section 336 (Act endangering life or personal safety of others).

Following the FIR, the special team was formed to inspect the buildings to check for violations. Preliminary inquiry has revealed that there are violations of building bylaws, said a senior police official.

The police said they would take the help of the Director-General of Civil Aviation, HAL, and Airports Authority of India officials before taking action in the matter. After consulting experts, a detailed report will be prepared and submitted to the authorities concerned for necessary action, a senior police officer said.

HAL spokesperson Gopal Sudar has said that any high-rise building in a 20-km radius of the airport must have a no-objection certificate from HAL. However, the company declined to comment on complaints made by private parties to the police.