Reforms in the air

No one will dispute the fact that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) desperately needs a makeover. The DGCA came in for a lot of criticism after last year’s air crash in Mangalore and subsequently for its role in the fake pilots scam and reports of corruption. The government now proposes a revamp of the regulatory body, which will go beyond renaming DGCA as Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
At present the DGCA is only a safety regulatory authority, issuing licences, conducting safety audits and investigating plane crashes. But since the aviation sector is growing rapidly, the government has realised that the regulator needs more teeth. The draft bill, sources say, will now empower DGCA, or rather the CAA, to also regulate airfares, appoint ombudsmen to address consumer grievances, and hear appeals against its decisions at a separate appellate tribunal. Besides, DGCA chief E.K. Bharat Bhushan says, the new reformed regulator will be functionally and financially independent and will hire its own employees.
This all sounds very promising, but it remains to be seen how many of the suggestions actually make it into the final draft bill. But at least something seems to be moving in the right direction at last!
17/07/11 Dilip Cherian/Deccan Chronicle

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Jul 2011