Monday, 8 June 2020

Once Upon a Time……….



Some 60 years ago :

Ø  For possessing and using at home, a small ( or big ) RADIO , one had to have a LICENSE issued by the Postal Department . Every year, you had to go to the nearest Post Office, stand in a queue and, when your turn came, pay annual license renewal fee ( Rs 5 for small / Rs 10 for big ) . I do not remember what was the penalty for using a radio without license renewal. If you had 2 radios, you needed 2 licenses !


Ø  Then about 40 years ago, while returning from a foreign trip, I brought with me, a CORDLESS TELEPHONE instrument. Before I can start using it, I had to send it to some Govt Dept ( I think, it was Telephone Department ) for allotment of a SPECIFIC FREQUENCY which only can be used for working of that instrument !  This took several months !


Ø  If you wanted to shift your telephone instrument ( good old circular dialing type ), from your hall to your bedroom, you had to formally “ Apply “ to Mumbai Telephones , who will send a mechanic ( anytime during next 3 months ) to carry out the shifting


Ø  Mumbai Telephone Department used to issue every year ( although, often it ended up being 2 years ), a big ( 400 pages ? ) TELEPHONE DIRECTORY ( one for each phone-owner ) . To get the latest copy you had to go to the Telephone Dept Office and surrender your OLD copy !


Ø  To get my first landline phone ( at Shivaji Park – Dadar – Mumbai ) , I had to apply with a non-refundable deposit of Rs 3,000 and wait for 6 years !

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June 2020

Just came across following news :


Extract :

Ø  An authorised manufacturer or importer can sell its devices only to an individual or entity approved by the aviation regulator DGCA.

Ø  Each drone importer, manufacturer, trader, owner and operator will need to take approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation

Ø  An authorised unmanned aircraft system importer or manufacturer must not sell a UAS to any person except an authorised trader or owner.

Ø  DGCA will have the powers to inspect a UAS manufacturing or maintenance facility before granting any authorisation under these rules

Ø  No UAS shall operate in India unless there is in existence a valid third party insurance policy to cover the liability that may arise on account of a mishap involving such UAS

Ø  No UAS should carry any payload except as permitted by the DGCA.

Ø  Only Nano class drones, which are less than 250 grams, will be allowed to operate in India

Ø  only a "qualified remote pilot" will be permitted to operate heavier drones.

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May be , all of these “ Rules / Regulations / Authorizations / Permissions / Approvals “ re manufacture / sale / use of DRONES , are necessary in today’s context


But, in not too far a future ( certainly not 40 / 60 years but very likely, 4 / 6 years ) , technology may have advanced so much that, persons sitting in any corner of the Earth, may send tiny / super tiny DRONES into India’s air-space and operated remotely from 10,000 km away !


Very likely , thousands of young Indians , sitting in hundreds of small towns of India , may themselves, want to deliver all kinds of goods and services , all over the world , using drones !


Imagine ONE MILLION tiny drones flying in our sky !



By then , “ Rules “ may not be able to “ regulate / control “ such Drone-Swarms


But my following suggestions might provide some clues :


Drone – a – Charya                                               [ 02 Sept 2018 ]


Flock Dynamics                                                     [ 04 Sept 2018 ] 


Drones Need Mid-Air Re-fueling                              [  06 Sept  2018 ] 


A Swarm-O-Drone is born                                      [  16  Nov  2017  ]


Locusts are invading !                                            [  24  May  2020  ] 


CC :  
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09  June  2020








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