Latest notification of Civil Aviation Ministry’s lays down the new law on Unmanned Aerial vehicles [UAVs]
Latest notification of Civil Aviation Ministry’s lays down the new law on Unmanned Aerial vehicles [UAVs]
Drones & UAV pilots who have so far got away with unauthorised flying of drones & aerial vehicle due to the absence of clearly laid out norms will have to watch out.
The Civil Aviation Ministry’s latest notification on Unmanned Aircraft System [UAS] Rules, 2021, not only specifies the norms for operating Unmanned Aircraft System or drones but also lists the quantum of punishment for unauthorised flying & manufacturing drones which range from ₹25,000 – ₹ 5 lakh.
“No unmanned aircraft system will be used & operated or transferred to any other person in India unless it is registered to the Director-General & it has a certificate of conformance issued by an authorised importer or manufacturer,” the notification states.
It further adds that no prototype unmanned aircraft system will be manufactured or imported without the pre-permission of the Director-General.
A fine of ₹ 5 lakh can be imposed for violation of subsection [1] of section 10. Section 10 specifies the Import of Unmanned Aircraft Systems & subsection [1] states that no unmanned aircraft system shall be imported to India unless a certificate of manufacture & airworthiness of the specific type & class of unmanned aircraft system is obtained by the authorised importer. There will a fine of ₹ 5 lakh for breaking and violation of section 11 which states that no person other than an authorised Unmanned Aircraft System Manufacturer will manufacture an unmanned aircraft system or part or component there of in India.
A fine of ₹ 1 lakh will be imposed on the establishment of a drone port in non-permitted areas. A fine of ₹25,000 can be imposed on the transfer of unmanned aircraft system to unauthorised persons or for unauthorised buying or selling or leasing of an unmanned aircraft system or a part of a component thereof. Similarly, a fine of ₹50,000 can be imposed for flying an unmanned aircraft over a no-operation area.
The new rules state that no unmanned aircraft will be flown within a distance of five kilometres from the perimeter of international airports at Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Hyderabad & within a distance of three kilometres from the perimeter of any civil, private or defence airports.
Its good news for the industry as it lays down standards, a lot of previously ambiguous points are addressed & regulations implemented a more concrete set of regulations will boost the Unmanned Aerial vehicles [UAV] ecosystem.It’s been well thought out with a proper road map & policy in mind.
