This has prompted the DGCA to formulate new rules and regulations to govern the civilian use of drones in India. Drones are a common sight even in weddings across India. The use of drones is rapidly expanding to commercial and civil government applications like scientific, recreational, agricultural, product delivery, aerial photography, infrastructure inspections, drone racing, policing and surveillance, firefighting, and more. Flying remote-controlled aircrafts has today significantly become a hobby, drones are, evolving into mainstream civilian purposes, akin to the internet and the global positioning system (GPS), which were initially used in the military. Till the start of the 20 th century, the development and use of drones occurred predominantly in the context of warfare by the military. In India, the use of all aerial vehicles, manned or unmanned, are governed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Meanwhile, state-run Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and several other private Indian companies are making drones and developing UAV technologies. They have been designed to have a minimal radar signature, allowing them to perform stealth operations. Since Kargil, India has procured numerous Israeli military unmanned aircraft to loiter over military targets such as surveillance bases and radar stations. India first used military drones for photo reconnaissance along the Line of Control, during the 1999 Kargil war with Pakistan. India’s history of drones’ dates back to the 1990s, when the Indian Army acquired unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs from Israel, and the Indian Air Force and Navy followed suit. The word ‘drone’ refers primarily to unmanned aircrafts or ships guided by remote control or onboard computers. But until robust safeguards have been introduced to protect personal privacy from prying eyes in the skies, the true benefits to society of unmanned aerial vehicles will remain unrealised.” – Alex Morritt, Impromptu Scribe. As with all new inventions, there are upsides and downsides. “ If paparazzi armed with telephoto lenses have long been the scourge of the rich and famous civilian drones are fast becoming the new menace to the ordinary man on the street.

Lines & Lenses by Alex Morritt