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The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Monday has issued a strict public notice to drone operators directing them to voluntarily register their drones on the DigiSky portal by January 31 to avoid penal action.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR), Section 3 - Air Transport Series X, Part I Issue 1, which was released on 27 August, 2018. The CAR regulates the use of drones in the Indian Airspace and these regulations provide process for obtaining Unique Identification Number (UIN), Unmanned Aircraft Operator Permit (UAOP) and other operational requirements including identification of civil drones and drone operators.
The notice said that the presence of such drones as well as drone operators has come to the notice of the Government which do not comply with the CAR mentioned above. “If drones are operated without due permission, the aforesaid process of CAR is violated,” it added.
On January 10, the Punjab Police had seized two highly sophisticated Chinese-made drones. Two smugglers belonging to a narco-terror module involved in smuggling of weapons and narcotics across the India-Pakistan border were arrested for the same.
MOCA has given drone operators an opportunity to voluntarily register their drones facilitate the identification of civil drones and drone operators. “A one-time opportunity for voluntary disclosure of such drones and drone operators is now being provided.
The conditions of No Permission No Takeoff (NPNT) as envisaged in the aforesaid CAR are not mandatory for this purpose,” the notice said.
The drone operators are required to register their drones on the online portal after which a Drone Acknowledgement Number (DAN) and an Ownership Acknowledgement Number (OAN) will be issued online which will help in validation of operations of drones in India.
“The details of the submission process can be obtained by visiting Digital Sky portal at https//digitalsky deca gov.in All persons in possession of drones are required to complete the process by 31" January 2020,” it said.
However, the DAN or OAN does not confer any right to operate drones in India, if it does not fulfil the provision given in the CAR. Further, ownership of drones in India without a valid DAN or OAN shall invite penal action as per applicable laws. “This database will be used to process each case as per the regulations by seeking further information required.”
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