Choppers may land on city’s tallest building

Very soon, choppers will be able to land in the heart of the city.The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has applied for a no objection certificate (NOC) to have helipads on the tallest building of the city — the Civic Centre, reports Neelam Pandey.

Very soon, choppers will be able to land in the heart of the city.The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has applied for a no objection certificate (NOC) to have helipads on the tallest building of the city — the Civic Centre.

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This would be the first building in Delhi to have helipads on the roof.

The civic agency will shift its headquarters to the building this year.

According to the civic agency, they have applied for an NOC from the Home Ministry and the Defence Ministry.

“Once we get the NOC from the ministries, we will approach the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for setting up a heliport,” said MCD Commissioner K.S. Mehra.

The civic agency said while a provision has been made for four helipads, only two would be used by the MCD.

The helipads can be used for emergency evacuation of the Civic Centre, which is 101 metres tall.

Officials of the MCD said with the Civic Centre close to the Ramlila Maidan, which is used by politicians for rallies, the helipads can come handy for VIP movement too.

“Many times to avoid rush, the VIPs make use of helicopters. They can be of used for such purposes too,” said an official who did not wish to named.

“We have constructed four helipads, but applied for NOC for only two of them. The clearance is under process,” said a senior MCD official. “Once we get the clearance, we will make arrangements for the helipads to be functional, like arranging special lights and putting all security equipment in place.”

Sources said the Home Ministry has already carried out an inspection of the site.