No drone zone

The ministry of civil aviation has ruled against the flying of drones around Bombay’s Doongerwadi, according to the DNA (Daily News and Analysis) of January 8, 2019. Two other areas around the perimeters of Bombay’s airports at Sahar and Juhu have also been designated as places where flying of drones is not permitted, reported the daily. Applications from drone operators for flying licenses were accepted by the union government from December 2018 onwards, the newspaper states. The zones defined for operation of drones are red (no flying permitted); yellow (where airspace is controlled) and green (no hindrance).

Community members had previously opposed the reducing of the no flying zone radius over Doongerwadi from 1,852 m to 500 m. Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trustees and some priests had met officials of the Airports Authority of India in October 2017 to discuss the proposed reduction (see "Doongerwadi: to fly or not?” Events and Personalities, Parsiana, October 21, 2017). BPP trustee Noshir Dadrawala told Parsiana on January 9, 2019 that "Finally as BPP we (had) said sorry we cannot permit (the reduction)... If government enforces it we will seek legal redress.”