Purushottam Khatri
Kathmandu, Nov. 26: Illegal and haphazard use and flying of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) popularly known as drone without taking permission and license from the concerned district administration office has increased lately, Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) said.
Drawing a serious attention to this regard, the Home Ministry has urged one and all to take prior approval from the concerned DAO for flying a drone up to two kg, and for above 25 kg, approval should be taken compulsorily from the Ministry.
“The attention of the Ministry has drawn to the increasing trend of haphazard and personal use of drone without serious matter which is illegal according to the Working Procedure 2018 for flying drone,” Joint Secretary and Spokesperson for the Ministry Fanindra Mani Pokharel said.
Drone, sometimes known as Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), is one of the most popular and must-have technologies for travelers all over the world. It assists people in capturing individual’s vacation memories from a variety of perspectives, study and research purpose, investigation, among other uses. “Many tourists and trekkers use this gadget to create trip blogs and vlogs while visiting Nepal but very few of them apply for prior approval,” said Pokharel.
Lately, flying drone for personal enjoyment and fun has also been increasing in the modern city areas of Kathmandu which may pose risk to the aircraft, as well as possible breaching of individuals’ privacy as such device comes useful in capturing private home’s security condition and other things, said Pokharel.
According to the Work Procedure, approval must be taken from the CDO office, Flight Safety Standards Department under the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) by every individual and office to fly drone independently. Flying a drone without a permit is illegal and punishable in Nepal according to CAAN Act and Electronic Transaction Act 2006, said Raju Shrestha, chief of Flight Safety Standards Department. Those who fly without permission will be arrested or punished according to the complaint lodged, he said.
“Journalists and humanitarian responders flew an unusual number of tiny and lightweight UAVs over heavily damaged areas and heritage sites to aid in the urgent rescue. However, the government realised the threats posed to national security because of the uncontrolled and unplanned flying of drones,” said Shrestha.
Tourists who wish to fly a drone during their visit to Nepal must first obtain approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Tourism, and CAAN. The registration process can be done online.
Tourists who wish to fly a drone in the national parks and conservation areas of Nepal need approval from the concerned Conservation Area/National Parks, Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Tourism, and Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal.
The Work Procedure has also restricted flying drone higher than 120m (394ft) and further than 500m (1,640ft) of any place. Flying drone within 50 metres (164 feet) of any ship, transport, or construction is also prohibited.
Categories and procedure to register drone
The government of Nepal has classified drones into four categories: Those weighing up to 250 gm as very low risk under Category A, from 250gm to 2kg as low risk under Category B, 2kg to 25kg as moderate risk under Category C and above 25kg as very high risk under category D. There are altogether 861 drones that have been registered and sought approval for the operation according to its categories. Under the category A, 319 drones have received approval, 520 under category B, 20 under category C and only two under category D.
“As per the prevailing law, registration of all categories of drones is a must to have flight permission,” said Shrestha. The certificate of approval will be valid for a period of one year, according the law, which can be extended by a maximum of three months.
20 seized drones on auction
Similarly, 20 drones seized by the police and the government officials in different dates have been kept for auction by issuing notice last month. Under the rules, confiscated devices have to be submitted to the CAAN and its revenue should be deposited to the government’s coffer. The bidders will have to commit a minimum of Rs. 759,408 for the purchase of all drones.
-TRN Online
