At a time when India is witnessing an increase in air accidents, the country's aviation safety regulator, the DGCA, is facing uncertainty over who will head it. M Sathiyavathy, the current DGCA head and the first woman to hold this post, had been waiting for the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a UN agency, to complete its audit of Indian aviation. The inspection ended last week.
"Sathiyavathy is going to move on any time now. But there is no clarity on who will succeed her," an official said. Sathiyavathy, a IAS officer, was previously empanelled as Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Chief Secretary in Pondicherry.
The DGCA has had seven chiefs in the past eight years. During the ICAO audit, questions were raised about the lack of continuity in this vital agency, which was, only last year, downgraded by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) wasn't happy with the situation either. The FAA and EASA are headed by technical experts. The last technocrat to have headed the DGCA was Kanu Gohain, who retired in 2008.
28/12/15 Aditya Anand/Mumbai Mirror
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"Sathiyavathy is going to move on any time now. But there is no clarity on who will succeed her," an official said. Sathiyavathy, a IAS officer, was previously empanelled as Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Chief Secretary in Pondicherry.
The DGCA has had seven chiefs in the past eight years. During the ICAO audit, questions were raised about the lack of continuity in this vital agency, which was, only last year, downgraded by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) wasn't happy with the situation either. The FAA and EASA are headed by technical experts. The last technocrat to have headed the DGCA was Kanu Gohain, who retired in 2008.
28/12/15 Aditya Anand/Mumbai Mirror
