The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Directorate General of Civil Aviation have granted conditional permission for using drones to Kochi Metro Rail Limited, the government said on Wednesday.
The metro rail will use the drones for Integrated Urban Regeneration and Water Transport System Project (IURWTS)m permission for which is valid till 31 December or until the full operationalization of Digital Sky Platform (Phase-1), whichever is earlier.
Also Read | Life lessons from Covidian era start-ups
"This exemption shall be valid only if all conditions and limitations are strictly adhered to. In case of violation of any condition, this exemption shall become null and void," the civil aviation ministry said.
The ministry said that KMRL is required to obtain necessary clearances from local administration, ministry of defence, ministry of home affairs, air defence clearance for Indian Air Force and Air Authority of India (AAI) prior to operation of the drones.
In addition to this, permission is also required for aerial photography from Directorate of Regulations & Information. DGCA or Ministry of Defence. The photographs shall also be used by KMRL only.
"KMRL shall ensure that only trained I experienced bona fide personnel operates the Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) as per the approved SOP. Subsequently, the RPAS operator shall ensure that remote flight crew is trained through approved FTOs/ RPTOs," the ministry said.
"The drone operator is also required to ensure that the RPAS is in working condition and maintained as mentioned in the approved SOP and shall be responsible for any eventual ties due to malfunction I disorientation of equipment," it added.
About Urban Regeneration and Water Transport System Project
State Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday announced the launch of the work on the Integrated Urban Regeneration and Water Transport System (IURWTS) project, which aims to make canals in the city navigable.
Preliminary work on the project is expected to start soon as the government last week approved the detailed project report (DPR) for the same.
Netherlands-based consortium Antea Nederland BV and Unihorn have prepared the master Plan and DPR of the project which is mainly aimed at regenerating the canals in Kochi, thereby making them navigable.
Catch all the Business News , Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
MoreLess