Was the Lashkar-e-Taiba procuring paragliders and equipping its operatives with paragliding engine and clothes to carry out terror strikes ? This was a question that was bothering the intelligence agencies in 2015. The inputs had then been shared with the union home ministry.
The recent drone scare in the capital that halted operations for around two hours at the Indira Gandhi International airport has brought back memories of such concerns for the security establishment. It has also come as a wake-up call for the home and civil aviation ministries which have been toying with the idea of drafting a drone policy for some years now.
As of now , the Aircraft Rules do not cover registration, sale and purchase and flying of drones. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has restricted the civilian use of drones or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) through a public notice issued in October 2014. Meanwhile, the DGCA is also in the process of developing an interim operations guideline for civil use of UAS.
In a reply to a parliament question on the issue in March last year, Minister of State for Home Haribhai Chaudhary had said that till such regulations are issued by the DGCA , "no non-government agency, organisation or an individual is allowed to launch a UAS/ Drone in Indian civil airspace for any purpose whatsoever. " But till the time the rules and regulations are strictly in place, government sources said the scares like these will be unavoidable.
On Sunday, the pilot of an international airline noticed a drone from 1.5 nautical miles in the height of above 500m while landing on the runway. In the evening, there was another alarm raised by the pilot of a domestic airline.
Security agencies have said that unregulated operation of microlight aircraft, powered hang-gliders, hot air balloons, paragliders and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles is a security concern that needs to be addressed immediately. The MHA has been sensitising states on the matter time and again saying that such flying objects must not intrude into the
air space beyond the authorised licenced area of operation, and that keeping in mind the threat posed by such unregulated adventure, flying needs proper monitoring. In the absence of a formal drone policy, however, buying, selling and flying drones is largely going unmonitored.
