Power cuts at the air traffic control (ATC) are becoming more frequent. Around 5.45 am on June 15, a sudden blackout gripped the ATC tower, which paralysed the radar. Also, the back-up system and the VHF radio stopped working. The radio is used to communicate with the pilots in the air and on the ground in case the radar fails. At that time there were four arrivals and 15 departures lined up.
The ATC used battery-operated VHF radio sets and were able to carry on with the operations.
While short circuit has been given the reason for power failure on June 15, 2010, at the ATC tower, Mumbai airport has been seen several power cuts in the past two years.
According to sources, these power cuts are mostly caused by the workers engaged in the renovation work of Mumbai airport.
“These workers are foreign to the cable lines inside the airport and end up cutting them unknowingly during the construction,” says a source at the airport.
“These power cuts become critical when even the backup system fails as it happened on June 15.As most of the backup system (diesel generator sets) are also old, they cannot be depended upon,” he says.
According to the sources, the Airport Authority of India (AAI), which is a 26% stake holder in the privatised Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), had informed the latter to change the old cable lines before monsoon.
“The cable lines inside the airport are very old and AAI wrote to MIAL a month ago, asking them to change them,” says the source.
An MIAL spokesperson confirmed about AAI’s letter and said the process to lay down the new cable lines was on. “The power failed at ATC tower on Tuesday because of short circuit. The new cable wires have already been re-laid and we are continuously upgrading them as per the AAI’s instructions. Only 25% or very
less portion is left to have new cables,” the spokesperson said.
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