DGCA to spend Rs300cr on e-governance

Mumbai: India's aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), will invest Rs300 crore on an e-governance and office automation project acting on recommendations made by non-profit National Institute for Smart Government (NISG).

''NISG will make a comprehensive report on computerization of DGCA. We are expected to float a request for proposal (RfP) by March,'' said EK Bharat Bhushan, director general of civil aviation.

All data of the regulator, including those on pilots and aircraft, would be automated, NISG chief executive Sanjiv Mital said.

DGCA's functions include registration of civil aircraft, formulation of standards of airworthiness for civil aircraft, granting certificates of planes' airworthiness, licensing of pilots, aircraft maintenance engineers, flight engineers, air traffic controllers and conducting examinations.

''The automation is expected to be completed in two years,'' Bhushan said. ''All examinations, including commercial pilot licence and air transport pilot licences, would be online in three months.''

According to NISG's Mital, once the project is complete, DGCA can track any data in the system.