DGCA has not banned import of drones: Civil Aviation Min

Aviation regulator DGCA has not banned the import of unmanned aerial vehicles and the draft guidelines pertaining to civil use of drones is under discussion, the government said today.
Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mahesh Sharma also said that the DGCA has no powers to seize any drones and related equipment.
"Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has not banned import of UAVs/drones and related equipment from foreign countries," he said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.
Currently, DGCA has restricted the civil use of drones by non-governmental agencies, organisations and individuals. However, there is no restriction on government organisations.

"Draft guidelines for operations of UAVs or drones for civil use have been prepared by DGCA and comments of various stakeholders on the same have been called for," Sharma said.
In another written reply, Sharma said the government is conducting accessibility audit of all international airports to make them fully accessible for persons with disabilities.
According to him, 32 airports, including those at Ahmedabad, Calicut, Amristar and Chennai, have been identified in the first phase for improvement of infrastructure facilities for differently abled passengers.