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A drone could soon be knocking on your door to deliver that gadget you ordered, or even your monthly groceries. And this is not any more the stuff of the future; it could happen early next year.
The government has now finalised draft Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) on drones — technically Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs), Civil Aviation Secretary RN Choubey said on Wednesday. The draft has been put up on the website of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation Civil Aviation for public comment.
“It is possible to use (drones) for delivery of goods (at your door step) provided they follow the prescribed rules,” Choubey said when asked if companies such as e-tailer Amazon and others could use drones to deliver goods at the doorstep.
The government will consider the suggestions from the public after 30 days and by “December 31 [it] will be in a position to put up a full and final policy on drones”, Choubey said.
Jayant Sinha, Minister of State for Civil Aviation said the rules being framed were so “progressive” that an innovative drone manufacturer could even look at starting “drone rickshaws”.
Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju added that drones could also be used for humanitarian assistance, including delivering blood to patients in need.
Five categories The draft CAR seeks to classify drones into five categories including ‘Nano’ (less than or equal to 250 g) to ‘Mini’ (bigger than 2 kg and less than or equal to 25 kg) and ‘Large’ (those that weigh more than 150 kg).
The draft CAR proposes that except for Nano drones and those operated by government security agencies, all other commercial categories of drones should be registered with the DGCA and possess a Unique Identification Number (UIN).
Pilots operating the drones remotely will have to undergo training in all categories, apart from ‘Nano’ and ‘Mini’ categories.
Drones will not be allowed within 5 km of an airport, within 50 km of the international border and beyond 500 m into the sea along the coastline, within 5 km of Vijay Chowk in Delhi and from a mobile platform such as a moving vehicle, ship or aircraft.
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