Experience with DGCA in last two decades disappointing, say pilots

Agencies
September 15, 2020

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New Delhi, Sept 15: Pilot associations have told the Civil Aviation Ministry that their experience with the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) over the last two decades has been disappointing and that safety regulations are diluted to favour commercial considerations of airline operators in the country.

The Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) and the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) have sent their comments to the Ministry on the restructuring of DGCA.

"We have close to two decades of experience both interacting with and being regulated by DGCA. Our overall experience sadly has been disappointing. We have seen multiple iterations of important flight safety legislation being diluted to favour commercial considerations of airline operators in the country," the pilots told the ministry.

They added that at other times, DGCA has been over zealous in regulation, resulting in victimisation of pilots or cabin crew a lot more than achieving the intended flight safety objectives.

"Further, there are significant cases of regulation to protect airline interests, but rarely to protect the airline employees from mismanagement which is chronic in Air India at least. Many of these have been/are under challenge in courts of law throughout the country," they added.

Testing the crew for alcohol before a flight is an important flight safety requirement, which has been addressed adequately by the DGCA by asking for mandatory testing before a flight and removal from duty if found positive.

If a crew is found to be under the influence of alcohol, the airline is given no leeway to punish this individual administratively or allow any rehabilitation.

"The DGCA instead jumps in immediately to make an example of the individual through these draconian punishments. Other regulators handle this subject with a lot more empathy," the pilots added.

The service conditions between the airline operators and their employees with regard to resignation is an internal airline matter. That has not stopped the DGCA from coming up with regulations requiring pilots to give at least six months' notice before resigning from an airline. The same has been increased to one year now, which is under challenge in the Delhi High Court.

"It effectively forces a pilot to keep working in an airline while obviously unsatisfied. This has no bearing with the safety of the travelling public or arguably affects it negatively, a fact which has not deterred DGCA from abusing its oversight," the pilots said.

The pilots added that the DGCA is currently headed by an IAS officer. But the aviation industry is unique and highly technical and cannot be treated like a generic government department.

"At the helm of DGCA there must be a technocrat with relevant experience and qualifications. Without this crucial reform, no amount of restructuring will change the way DGCA operates," the pilots said.

Although the DGCA is an arm of the Civil Aviation Ministry, it must have complete operational independence to exercise objective oversight on civil aviation in India. It cannot be the judge, jury and executioner at the same time, the pilots said.

Any technical legislation proposed by the DGCA must be based on credible scientific research to be made available in the public domain. It is important to comply with the ICAO recommendations but at the same time, regulations must be tailored to the Indian aviation scenario, which is not possible by cherry picking other regulators, the pilots maintained.

Once a new legislation is issued by the DGCA, there must be a dedicated team to get it running smoothly and amend the regulations to address any unforeseen issues by closely working with all the affected stakeholders.

This team must actively seek feedback and review the on ground effectiveness ofthese regulation periodically to tackle emerging issues and keep legislation up to date, the pilots said.

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News Network
February 12,2025

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The family of Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, director of Gaza's Kamal Adwan Hospital, says he has been subjected to “severe torture and mistreatment” following his arrest by Israeli forces in late December.

Abu Safiya’s family, citing his lawyer, said in a post on X on Wednesday that he endured harsh conditions in the first days of his detention in Israeli jails and was held in solitary confinement for 24 days before being transferred to Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank, where he continues to face poor treatment.

According to Abu Safiya's family, he suffers from chronic high blood pressure and an enlarged heart muscle.

His family added that although Abu Safiya is currently receiving treatment, he is only given one meal per day which is "inadequate” and of very poor quality.

“Regarding his legal case, it is clean, and there are no charges against him,” his family said, adding that all accusations attributed to him have been denied due to lack of evidence and the case is clear.

His family noted that Abu Safiya’s release could be imminent in the coming stages of the prisoner exchange, as the Israeli prosecutors have not filed any charges.

Abu Safiya’s family further called on the international community to pressure Israel to provide adequate food and medicine for him and secure his immediate release.

In late December, Israeli forces raided Kamal Adwan Hospital, forcing patients and medical staff to leave while detaining the rest.

Dr. Abu Safiya, 51, was among those taken for questioning by the Israeli military over alleged links to the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas.

He has already called for international intervention to secure his release and that of all detained medical personnel, stressing that healthcare workers must be protected, their rights upheld, and their immediate release ensured. 

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Agencies
February 12,2025

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Kottayam: Stripped naked, dumbbells hung from private parts, stabbed with geometry box compasses and beaten bloody for three months - a fresh ragging incident has rocked a government college in Kerala where five third-year nursing students have been arrested for allegedly subjecting their juniors to months of brutal physical and mental abuse.

The incident took place at Government Nursing College in Kottayam where three first-year students - all from Thiruvananthapuram -  filed a formal complaint with the Kottayam Gandhinagar police, detailing a series of violent acts that began in November 2024 and continued for nearly three months.  

The complaint led to the suspension of the students and their arrest under the Anti-Ragging Act. According to the police, the first-year students were forced to stand naked while their seniors hung dumbbells from their private parts. The victims were also subjected to injuries using sharp objects, including a compass from a geometry box.  

The cruelty did not stop there. Lotion was applied to the wounds, causing pain. When the victims screamed in agony, the lotion was forcibly smeared into their mouths. The seniors allegedly filmed these acts and threatened the juniors with dire consequences, including jeopardising their academic futures, if they dared to report the abuse.  

The complaint also claims that the seniors regularly extorted money from the juniors on Sundays to buy alcohol. Those who refused to comply were beaten. One student, unable to bear the harassment any longer, informed his father, who then encouraged him to approach the police.  

All five are currently in police custody and are expected to be produced before a magistrate by Wednesday afternoon.  

The incident comes weeks after a 15-year-old schoolboy in Kochi died by suicide. The student's mother alleged that her son was bullied by students which pushed him towards his death.

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News Network
February 3,2025

Mandya: An eight-year-old girl has alleged that she was sexually assaulted by two boys inside the washroom of her school in Mandya district of Karnataka, police said on Monday.

The incident was alleged to have occurred on January 31. However, the complaint came to light on Sunday when the girl's mother approached the police, they said.

Citing her statement, a senior police officer said that the class two student of a government school has alleged that two boys allegedly took her to the washroom where they threatened her to remove clothes and thereafter thrashed her with a stick. They also beat her on her private parts.

One of the boys she identified is her classmate while another is from a higher class, he said.

The girl alleged that the accused students threatened her not to disclose the incident to anyone but later she confided in her mother, he added.

Based on the statement of the girl, a case was registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act against the two boys and an investigation is underway to ascertain the sequence of events and verify facts, said Mandya Superintendent of Police Mallikarjun Baladandi.

As part of the investigation, police are also reviewing the CCTV footage from the school premises.
However, the medical examination report of the girl did not reveal any such injury on private parts, police said, adding that statements of the boys will be recorded and further action will be taken accordingly.

"We are currently investigating the case and are verifying details given by the girl in her statement. There are some inconsistencies in her account," he added.

Meanwhile, BJP State President B Y Vijayendra condemned the incident on social media platform X alleging that law and order in the state had completely deteriorated with cases of rape of minors, assault on women and daylight robberies being reported in the state.

He demanded that strict action be taken against the perpetrators.

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