Friday, 7 December 2012

Civil aviation policy attuned to needs of passengers with disability sought


It is time that a new civil aviation policy is formulated with special emphasis on passengers with disabilities who continue to face barriers, Justice S. Vimala of the Madras High Court said here on Friday.
Addressing a seminar at Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University on ‘Law, Policy and Regulation on Civil Aviation in India: Contemporary issues and Challenges,’ she said, “While some positive steps such as the introduction of Civil Aviation Requirements on Carriage by Air of Persons with Disability and/or Persons with Reduced Mobility were taken, the experience on the ground remains at an unacceptably low level.”
The disability policy must cover all persons with disabilities and not only those who have mobility impairment. The policy must also recognise that persons with different types of disabilities often require different types of assistance, she said.
Stressing on greater transparency on the use of non-aero land at airports, she said it was counter-productive to develop residential and commercial communities on land adjacent to airports and then see activism from residents seeking to curtail airport operations because of noise pollution. There must be careful master planning to ensure that different land uses could co-exist. Furthermore, a long-term perspective must be taken with respect to land requirements for airport infrastructure.
Ms. Justice Vimala questioned the use of international language and food on sectors such as Chennai-Madurai and said services must be need-based, not sophisticated.
K. Shivakumar, Joint General Manager, Aviation Safety, of the Chennai Airport, said that the authorities were striving hard to meet safety standards due to increase in traffic. He sought the help of the officials concerned for streamlining the activities of flying clubs and restricting construction of high-rise buildings near airports.

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