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Chennai Naval air station prohibits drones in 3 km radius

Operators of non-conventional flying objects within the ‘No Fly Zone’ will be charged under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code, the Ministry of Defence said.

The Ministry of Defence has declared the area falling under the three kilometre radius from the perimeter of the naval air station INS Rajali, Arakkonam, as a ‘No Fly Zone’. Individuals and civil agencies are prohibited from flying any non-conventional aerial objects— drones, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) within these zones without any prior permission.

Operators of these flying objects within the ‘No Fly Zone’ will be charged under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code. “INS Rajali will destroy or confiscate any non-conventional aerial object including drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) found flying without proper approval,” a statement said. According to the statement, approval for utilisation of drones by any operator or civil/government agency is governed by guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

“Further, approval from the Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA) is to be obtained through Digi Sky Website, and a copy of the approval letter is to be submitted to Headquarters Eastern Naval Command/ (Command Security Officer) and INS Rajali at least a week before any scheduled flying operation,” the statement said.

The Southern Naval Command in Kochi has also issued prohibitory orders against the usage of any non-conventional aerial objects, like drones, in a three-kilometre radius around its facilities.  In a statement, the Navy said that if any such objects are detected, they will be confiscated or destroyed.

Earlier this month, the Eastern Naval Command headquartered in Andhra Pradesh’s port city Visakhapatnam issued similar prohibitory orders, declaring a no-fly zone from the 3 km of Indian Naval Installation.

In the early hours of June 27, two explosive devices were dropped from drones in the technical area of the Indian Air Force Station in Jammu. Two IAF personnel were injured. Though no valuable equipment was affected, the roof of a building was damaged in the explosion. Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Dilbag Singh has termed the incident as a terror attack. 

Source: The News Minute