2 neelgai rescued, combing op at Hisar airport ends

Weeks after persistent concern over wild animals posing a threat to airport operations, Haryana Forest and Wildlife Department authorities — along with a team from the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun — rescued two nilgai (blue bulls) from the premises today.

With just days left for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to inaugurate flights from the newly set up airport in Hisar, the authorities have launched extensive operations to clear the airport of wild animals. The airport is walled in 2,000 acres though it has a total of 7,200 acres.

Sources said that nearly 500 personnel of various departments launched a search operation day and night and also used fireworks. The sources said that the entire 2,000 acre walled area was searched twice today to doubly ensure that no wild animal is left behind.

Sources now claim that the airport complex has been sanitised of wildlife. However, no government official has come on record to confirm the completion of the operation, leaving room for uncertainty.

The airport, which received its aerodrome licence on March 28, is built on land formerly occupied by the Government Livestock Farm (GLF)—a once-forested area teeming with wildlife. Animals, including nilgai, wild boars, jackals, stray dogs and rabbits, were reportedly trapped within the premises after the construction of a boundary wall that cost the state around Rs 22 crore.

Wildlife activists have raised questions over the lack of rehabilitation plan for wildlife ahead of the construction work.

Though the local authorities earlier claimed no wild animal is inside the walled area, it turned out to be false later on. Subsequently, G Anupama, Additional Chief Secretary of the Department of Environment, Forests and Wildlife, on April 7 issued an urgent directive to mobilise all available resources for the removal of wild animals from the airport campus.

Dr Vivek Saxena, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden, along with Sunder Lal, In-charge Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife), Gurugram, were tasked with coordinating efforts across multiple departments.

The combing operation has since involved teams from six districts—Hisar, Sirsa, Bhiwani, Fatehabad, Charkhi Dadri and Jind — working in coordination with the Hisar Municipal Corporation under high alert to ensure wildlife is safely relocated.

Meanwhile, security arrangements for the PM’s April 14 visit are being tightened.

Haryana Tribune