Speed Post News Network
New Delhi : Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have granted conditional exemption to National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) for the deployment of Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) for Data Acquisition for mapping and implementation of Web based Geographical Information System (GIS) platform for Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS). The conditional exemption is until December 31, 2020, or until the full operationalisation of Digital Sky Platform, whichever is earlier.
Amber Dubey, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation said, “Congratulations to NCRTC for receiving the drone surveillance approvals. This will help them in effective aerial surveillance and project planning. The granting of these approvals is in line with the MoCA’s objective of promoting use of drones for mass benefit.”
Conditions and limitations on NCRTC for mapping and implementation include:
NCRTC, New Delhi shall obtain necessary clearances from (a) Local Administration (b) Ministry of Defence (c) Ministry of Home Affairs (d) Air Defence clearance from Indian Air Force and (e) Airport Authority of India (AAl) prior to operation of Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS). It shall only operate the RPAS which has been voluntarily disclosed to Government of India and issued with a valid Drone Acknowledgement Number (DAN) (i.e. D1DAOOU2U for SPIDEX-600). It shall submit a comprehensive brief on the scope of operations and the copy of SOP to Flight Standards Directorate (FSD), DGCA. Operation of Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) shall be carried out only after the vetting/ approval of SOP.
NCRTC, New Delhi, shall take necessary permission regarding Aerial Photography, if applicable, from Directorate of Regulations & Information, DGCA. The operation of RPAS shall be restricted to day operations (from sunrise to Sunset), within Visual Line Of Sight (VLOS). In case of any injury to any person due to physical contact with the equipment, NCRTC shall be responsible for medico-legal issues. It shall have adequate level of insurance to cover any damage to third party resulting from accident/ incident occurred during the operation of RPAS, according to a PIB release.