State bird, technology, connectivity behind Noida International Airport logo

The Uttar Pradesh government and the Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL) on Thursday finalised a logo for the airport that has the imprint of the state bird,

The Uttar Pradesh government and the Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL) on Thursday finalised a logo for the airport that has the imprint of the state bird, the Sarus Crane, in it, amalgamated with the image of a passenger plane.

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“We have tried to send a message across with the logo of the Noida International Airport by including impressions of a crane, technology and connected world in it. Dhanauri village near the airport site is a rich habitat of the Sarus Crane, the state bird, so we decided to include impressions of the same,” said Arun Vir Singh, chief executive officer (CEO) of NIAL.

“We included technology as Yamuna Expressway is fast becoming a favourite hub of technology-driven businesses, while a connected world signifies that the airport and industries along the expressway will host diverse communities, cultures and a cosmopolitan society,” he added.

Officials at the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (Yeida) and NIAL said they have taken multiple measures to protect the almost 50 acre-wetland spread across Dhanauri, Thasrana and Amirpur Bangar villages, off the 165 km expressway. The marshland will be developed into a bird sanctuary and a wetland as it is home to the Sarus Crane, said officials. The wetland is home to 198 species of birds and falls under the Sector 16 urban area planned by the authority, which controls the expressway.

“We have roped in the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to work on a conservation plan for this wetland located. We included it to send out a message that we need to work on a sustainable development model so that the ecology stays protected while letting developmental projects create opportunities for growth,” said Singh.

In its observations, the Union environment ministry had raised concerns about damage to ecology, including to natural ponds, canals and trees, apart from disturbance to wildlife — the airport is coming up near wetlands that are home to the state bird, the Sarus Crane, as well as blackbucks, among others. To protect the ecology, the ministry has said that it wants Yeida and the NIAL to take preventive measures.

“It is our commitment to protect the ecology and wildlife. Keeping the Crane in the logo reminds us of this commitment towards the environment,” said Singh, who is also the CEO of the Yamuna Expressway Authority.

The receivables Yeida got in 2018-19 were Rs1,213 crore from selling land. In the subsequent financial year, 2019-2020, the receivables increased to at least Rs5,000 crore, due to the authority having managed to sell more land due to the airport project coming up, boosting investors’ sentiment.

“Investment is growing in this region ever since the airport work picked up pace. It is happening because we believe in using the latest in technology and connecting people from the world over via business, which is why we kept these two in the logo,” said Singh.