PATNA, July 7 -- The Centre is in the process of constituting a multi-disciplinary team of experts that would visit soon to suggest actions for ensuring safer air operations from the Jay Prakash Narayan International (JPNI) airport in Patna, said chief secretary Amrit Lal Meena. The matter was discussed on July 3 during the meeting Vipin Kumar, chairman of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), a Bihar-cadre bureaucrat, had with Meena over completing the interim terminal building of Purnia airport by August and commencing commercial air operations from the defence airbase there by September. "The Central multi-disciplinary team will visit soon and include officials from the ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEF&CC), besides those from the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) and AAI," said Meena while talking to the Hindustan Times on Sunday. "The team, after a ground assessment in the vicinity of Patna airport, will suggest the additional area required for further safety of air operations. Based on its suggestions, we will formulate a proposal for the consideration of the government," added Meena. Meena had on June 16 requested the secretary, ministry of civil aviation (MoCA), to send a multi-disciplinary team to sort out issues arising in the CAT-I (Category I) instrument landing system (ILS) approach lighting installation, and commissioning of the new doppler very high frequency omnidirectional range (DVOR) system, which is a short to medium-range radio navigation system used in aviation to help pilots determine their bearing and direction relative to a ground station or the runway. The short runway length of 2,072 metres against a minimum requirement of 2,500 metres and obstacles, including trees, clock tower, mobile towers and multi-storied buildings, on either side of the runway, make for a steeper glide slope of 3.15 degree against the usual 3 degree for any descending aircraft, classifying Patna among 11 critical airports in India. Earlier, a joint team of Bihar's civil aviation department, headed by special secretary Nilesh Ramachandra Deore and Patna district magistrate Thiyagarajan SM, had identified small chunks of vacant land measuring 14.5 acre of the animal and fisheries resource department on Runway 07 (Phulwarisharif end) and another 15 acre on Runway 25, to the corner of the Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park or Patna zoo, for extension of the existing runway from 2,072 metres to 2,600 metres. The state team, which inspected the area around the airport on June 14, also suggested constructing an underpass each from Patel Chowk on Shaheed Peer Ali Path (zoo end) to the airport, and near the Jagdeopath side (Phulwarisharif end) for vehicular movement, said officials. It also suggested trimming the height of the 56-metre tall clock tower atop the state secretariat by 17.5 metres, besides pruning of trees in the zoo. The clock tower, which is beyond the permissible height, is in the approach funnel of an aircraft, in addition to 45 trees in the zoo, posing a safety risk for air passengers. The state team's ground assessment follows Meena convening an inter-departmental meeting of officials from the CAD, revenue and land reforms, the environment forest and climate change departments and AAI on June 3....