SLEEPLESS in the cockpit” can be the new buzz word for exhausted civilian pilots in India. It is an issue that has exercised the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), airlines and pilots for years. And courts have repeatedly pulled up airlines for violating laws which govern flight duty time limitations (FDTL) and rest periods of pilots. The turbulence refuses to die down despite numerous petitions and studies by aviation medicine experts which have said that being alert or slee py can make all the difference between life and death in the aviation sector.
FDTL was implemented by the DGCA in 2011 after the Air India Express crash in Mangalore (2010) which killed 158 passengers. Pilot fatigue was found to be the cause of it. After this, a government committee under former DGCA head Dr Nasim Zaidi was formed which gave an exhaustive report which scientifically looked into FDTL and rest requirements for flight crew and had aviation medicine specialists from the In di an Air Force. The panel had categorically said: “Sleep and fatigue science has unequivocally established the role of adequate rest in mitigating fatigue.”
Continue reading your story on the app
Continue reading your story in the magazine
Wars in the woods
Responsible for protecting flora, fauna and the entire natural ecosystem, the rangers are a pitiable lot. Unarmed, untrained, they face poachers’ and encroachers’ superior firepower and even get ensnared in long legal tangles when they are forced to use their own firearms in self-defence. An analysis
“The preparatory work in Amrapali case will be over in six months”
Supreme Court Senior Advocate R VENKATARAMANI has established himself as one of the most erudite and astute lawyers of India, dealing in matters as varied as constitutional law, environmental law, taxation, tribal rights, child and women’s rights. He has represented several state governments, the Union government, universities and public sector undertakings in major litigation in the Supreme Court and in High Courts. A former member of the Law Commission of India, Venkatara mani was recently appointed by the Supreme Court as Receiver for the Amrapali Group, tasked with unravelling a complex web of financial issues to pave the way for thousands of anguished home buyers to finally get a roof over their heads. In an exclusive interview to INDIA LEGAL BUREAU, he spoke for the first time on his work in the complex Amrapali case and on many other issues. Excerpts:
THE TRUMP ERA ENDS, AS A TRAGEDY
It ends with Donald Trump deflated and disgraced, less a personal tragedy than a national disaster. Without social media at his fingertips, the American president appears a silent, brooding sphinx waiting out the last days of his reign. His most vocal followers promise more violence before and after president-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20.
The Privacy Challenge
The recent “take it or leave it” announcement by WhatsApp to introduce a new privacy policy seems to have shaken up the market, leading to a significant shift of users to other similar platforms. It could be a serious mistake by the platform.
The Electoral Experiment
The recent District Development Council election results in the state call for a sombre reflection on the nature and the drivers of our electoral politics
SC takes up Yamuna pollution issue
The Supreme Court took suomotu cognisance of the issue of major pollution of the Yamuna and other rivers.
Office harassment over digital media
Co-workers working through digital platforms in different venues will now be part of the same workplace, and any harassment through such media will fall under workplace sexual harassment. This ruling was issued by the Jaipur Bench of the Rajasthan High Court.
Notice under Special Marriage Act now optional
In a landmark judgment, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court ruled that the mandatory publication of a 30-day notice before marriage under the Special Marriage Act, 1954, was now optional.
More Power to Women
Last year saw many judgments which empowered the fairer sex, be it granting permanent commission to women officers in the army, rulings against sexual harassment at the workplace and reproductive choice being their fundamental right
Bitter Harvest
The apex court’s stay on the implementation of the three laws and the formation of a committee might be the first stage in resolving a complex situation where neither the government nor the farmers want to back off
New Kid on the Block
Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management
INDIA'S POTENTIAL AS A MAJOR MRO HUB
With the changes in taxation policy, India’s MRO industry for the first time will be able to see light at the end of the tunnel
MRO OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES – INDIA
India offers a great MRO opportunity due to its geographical location, proximity to the international shipping lines and its own massive intrinsic aircraft fleet
Dr. RAHUL SINGH SARDAR (MBBS, MRCA, FCAI.), DIRECTOR, ICATT
IN CONVERSATION WITH KARTIKEYA, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, AVIATION UPDATE.
THE DELIGHT OF MICROLIGHT FLYING
In conversation with Viraf G Edulji
Domestic air travel shrinks by 82.3% to 21.07L people in July
Occupancy rate for five out of six major airlines was between 50-60 per cent in June
FLYING TRAINING SCHOOLS: SURVIVING THE PANDEMIC
According to conservative estimates made by FICCI in March 2020, around 1000 plus passenger planes were expected to come to India by 2030.
Unmanned - Needs A Piece Of The Sky
It’s only been about a decade since drones more accurately, commercial and personal quadcopters first started being mass-produced. But already, they are everywhere. Personal drones are buzzing on the beaches and at parks, commercial drones are working on construction sites and farms and delivery drones are even starting to deliver packages/medicines in some cities. The increasing ‘specialization’ of drone technology for commercial use indicates there will be many different types and sizes of drones at work around a city in the near future. The massive rise in use cases being published by companies also suggests that drones will be put to use in a wide range of hitherto unimagined ways.
RPAS IN INDIA
Unbridled Proliferation
गुरु पूर्णिमा को व्यास पूर्णिमा क्यों कहते हैं।
शताब्दियों पूर्व, आषाढ़ मास के शुक्ल पक्ष की पूर्णिमा को महर्षि वेद व्यास जी का अवतरण हुआ था। वही वेद व्यास जी, जिन्होंने वैदिक ऋचाओं का संकलन कर चार वेदों के रूप में वर्गीकरण किया था। 18 पुराणों, 18 उप-पुराणों, ब्रह्मसूत्र, महाभारत आदि अतुलनीय ग्रंथों की रचना करने का श्रेय भी इन्हें ही जाता है।