April 22: With the Corporation’s garbage dumping yard located less than three km from Madurai airport, and the threat of a fatal bird hit to an aircraft a clear and present danger, the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued stringent guidelines to the civic body regarding waste processing.

However, the DGCA has granted approval for the scientific disposal of waste in the dumpyard where about 450 tonnes of garbage generated daily from within the corporation limits is dumped.

The corporation has proposed a Rs 57 crore project for the scientific closure of the existing accumulated waste of about 13 lakh cubic metres.

With the DGCA and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board giving the go-ahead, the project has now taken off. But both the bodies have laid down stipulations and have asked the civic body to conform to the conditions.

The Directorate-General of Civil Aviation has stipulated that the processing of waste disposal should be carried out in a covered area as the smell of garbage attracts birds because of which there could be bird hits by aeroplanes flying in the zone.

For the first week, garbage should be mandatorily dumped in a covered place. The authorities should ensure that there is no spillover during the transportation of rubbish from the city to the dumpyard as the trucks use the approach road to the airport to reach the site.

It has also laid down conditions on landscaping. Long grass should not be grown to avoid birds being drawn to the area, official sources said. Also, there is a strict ban on burning trash.

They said the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation officials are empowered to carry out field inspections to check if the rules are being followed.