Ahmedabad: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has enforced strict height restrictions on all construction around Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA) in the city to protect flight safety and prevent further violations.

As per the revised framework, the airport vicinity has been divided into colour-coded height-control zones, and an AAI No Objection Certificate (NOC) will now be mandatory for every construction, irrespective of the zone.

AMC and airport authorities will now jointly verify Building Use (BU) permissions to prevent Obstacle Limitation Surface (OLS) violations that can endanger aircraft during take-off, landing and low-visibility conditions. Officials stressed that no BU permission will be processed without validated elevation clearance, and unauthorised buildings will face sealing, utilities cutoff, penalties or demolition.

The action follows aeronautical surveys and safety audits over the past two years, which found multiple OLS violations. After a 2022 review, DGCA issued 46 demolition orders in January 2024 under the Aircraft (Demolition of Obstructions) Rules, 1994, 28 have complied, four are under appeal, one awaits an aeronautical study, and 13 will now be razed by AMC.

Airport authorities have also directed AMC, AUDA and local municipal bodies to ensure physical site elevation checks before granting height permissions, citing widespread discrepancies between plinth levels and actual elevations that led to most violations. DeshGujarat