Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has given the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) permission to deploy drones for the live aerial cinematography of the India Cricket season in 2021.
As per the press release the cricketing board, the conditional exemption was granted by the MoCA and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in view of the rising commercial use of drones in the country from agriculture to healthcare. The request by BCCI pertains to the permission to use Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) for live-filming of matches.
As per the statement, the conditional exemption granted to the BCCI is valid till December 31, 2021, from the date of issue of the letter or until the full operationalization of Digital Sky Platform (Phase-1). Pertinently, the BCCI has to take necessary permission regarding aerial photography from Directorate of Regulations and Information, DGCA or Ministry of Defence.
The body is solely responsible for the safety and security of RPAS and data collected and will be the sole entity allowed to use the photographs/video graphs taken through the RPAS.
The operations of the Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems also need to come with a valid Drone Acknowledgement Number (DAN) that shall be operated in accordance with the SOP mentioned. Moreover, any change in the approved SOP, for example, a change in procedures or RPAS or use case or personnel or area specified in the approved SOP needs to be included in the SOP and submitted to DGCA for approval.
