Rajya Sabha on Tuesday passed ‘The Aircraft (Amendment) Bill, 2020’ providing for statutory backing to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and entailing increasing the fine for violations from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 1crore. The Bill was passed by a voice vote after an hour-long discussion. The legislation had already been cleared by the Lok Sabha in March this year.
Under the new Act (after its implementation), any violation will attract heavy punishment, for example, violators will be punished up to two years in jail or fine up to Rs 10 lakh or both. Carrying arms, ammunition, and explosives or other banned goods on board, and developing illegal construction around the airports will attract fines up to Rs 10 lakhs to Rs 1 crore.
Replying to the debate, Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that the Government in the last three years has recruited 1,000 air traffic controllers as against requirement of 3,500 such officials. “India is the third largest market globally after the United States and China, and India is growing rapidly in the aviation sector, in terms of passengers’ growth and aircraft in the skies ,” he said.
Earlier, opposition parties had opposed the Bill, and Congress’ Rajyasabha MP KC Venugopal raised concern over “many vacancies in the aviation industry”. He also pointed out to the near-misses of the aircraft in the skies for last many years.
Former Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said that airlines are financially stressed due to COVID-19 and need support from the government. Stating the importance of civil aviation sector in the country, he said: “Four to five per cent people of the country board flights one time in a year. If this number goes up to 10-15 per cent, we would need a huge increase in the number of airports and aircraft.”
Replying to issues raised by Congress member, Puri said Venugopal should look at the issue of privatisation in a historical context. The country’s largest airports Delhi and Mumbai were successfully privatised in 2006 under a previous political dispensation, and proceeds from the process have resulted in getting resources to develop airport infrastructure in the country, he noted. Since the privatisation of Mumbai and Delhi airports, the Airports Authority of India has received Rs 29,000 crore, Puri said.
On the Congress’ charge of allotting six airports to one group, Puri said the Delhi and Mumbai airports account for 33 percent of air traffic and earnings. The six airports that were awarded in 2018 together account for only nine per cent of traffic and earnings, he said.
On Air India’s privatisation, he said, “If I could help it, we would keep it, but with Rs 60,000 crore debt, the choice is not between privatisation and not privatisation. Some of my colleagues should realise that the choice is between privatisation and closing down.”
