The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has rejected the plea for declaration of the airspace above the 12th-century Shree Jagannath Temple premises at Puri as a ‘no-fly zone’ on the grounds that it will violate laws and rules governing civil aviation in the country.
In a letter to the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), the DGCA said it has no plans to declare the airspace above the temple premises as a no-fly zone. It said it has also no plans to declare any fresh no-flying zones in principle as it would violate laws and rules governing civil aviation and affect the safety and efficiency of civil aviation operations.
In his reaction to the DGCA’s decision, SJTA Chief Administrator Arabinda Kumar Padhee admitted to receiving such a letter from the DGCA and said, “We have written to the Government in this regard. Since it’s an in-principle decision of the DGCA citing safety and efficiency of civil aviation operators, it is difficult. We will study the use of appropriate alternative technology like jammers, etc., to prevent aerial photography of the temple from helicopters flying above the shrine for its security.”
It may be mentioned here that the SJTA and the Puri district administration had written to the DGCA seeking declaration of the airspace above the temple as a no-fly zone after foreign tourists managed to take aerial photographs of the temple with the help of cameras fitted in quadcopters and private planes and uploaded them in the social media.
Following the incident, several organisations expressing concern over the security of the temple had demanded declaration of the airspace above the shrine as a no-fly zone.