Flying A Drone Illegally In India? How Government Plans To Stop It

New Delhi: Be it weddings or a law and order situation, unmanned aerial vehicles or drones are every day being used by common people and security forces to get a 360 degree view. Although flying such drones is prohibited under law in the country, it has not deterred people from using them.

The Home Ministry is now planning to acquire high power electromagnetic systems from a German company called DIEHL to deal with the problem of drones. The system would have a radar, radio frequency jammer and detector. Each unit would cost about Rs 8-10 crores.

The ministry has shortlisted the National Security Guard and the Central Industrial Security Force to acquire these systems as of now.

Recently, a meeting was held in North Block, which houses the Home Ministry, in which officers from Indian Air Force, chiefs of paramilitary forces, civil aviation body DGCA and other stake holders participated.

Sources say the Civil Aviation ministry wanted to be the nodal agency to operationalize the high power electromagnetic systems that the government is planning to get. However, the Home Ministry said since the issue deals with national security, so it would be the nodal agency for it.

Most drones or UAVs are sighted by pilots while flying. But when it is reported to the security agencies they do not know how to handle the situation. The issue of jurisdiction is the main component of the new law that the government plans to introduce.

The Home Ministry, which will bring out a drone regulation act this month, is of the opinion that as of now there is a vacuum in the law as there are no provisions on how to deal with a situation when a drone is sighted.

"There is no law. At times we just break the drone and hand it back to the owner," said an officer posted at the airport.

Roles, standard operating procedure, who will give license to drone pilots - everything will be clearly spelt out in the new law.