The District Magistrate of East Jaintia Hills, Shri Manish Kumar, IAS, has issued an order directing that prior permission must be obtained before flying any drone or conducting any drone survey anywhere within the district.
The order states that the Government of India notified the Drone Rules, 2021, through the Ministry of Civil Aviation on August 25, 2021. Under these rules, unmanned aircraft systems are classified according to their maximum all-up weight, including payload, and only individuals holding a valid Remote Pilot Licence registered on the Digital Sky Platform are authorised to operate drones.
The District Magistrate further stated that flying drones or any unmanned aircraft within East Jaintia Hills without prior permission is strictly prohibited and is punishable under the relevant existing rules and laws.
Accordingly, all individuals, companies and organisations intending to fly drones or carry out drone surveys in any part of the district have been directed to obtain prior permission from the district authorities before undertaking such activities.