Govt gives itself power to requisition aircraft
24 Jan 2009
In a notification issued yesterday, the union government has empowered itself to requisition aircraft from any aircraft operator and press it into service in the interest of public safety. The operator will also have to provide crew, fuel, and maintenance.
The move is aimed at averting any delay in the movement of security personnel in an emergency like the Mumbai terrorist attacks. Earlier, the government could only requisition privately-owned aircraft in case of war.
The notification says that any officer in the aviation or home ministry of the rank of joint secretary or above would be authorised to requisition the airplanes owned or operated by any aviation company.
"The aircraft operator will be required to provide the aircraft with crew, maintenance, personnel and all materials that will be necessary for the operation of an aircraft for the purpose of public service," the civil aviation ministry notice said.
While requisitioning the aircraft the authorised government official would take into account the place the airplane is available and the destination. The central government will pay compensation to the airline company or aircraft operator as determined in the Aircraft Act, 1934.
It is alleged that National Security Guard (NSG) commandos reached Mumbai only about nine hours after the terrorists struck due to unavailability of aircraft for their transport.
