RC India

What's your take on this?

http://mashable.com/2016/03/02/india-drones-duties/#1Kef_7Y_rmqt (http://mashable.com/2016/03/02/india-drones-duties/#1Kef_7Y_rmqt)

Stopping and banning drones will 
Only creat issues , people won't stop flying them
Nor does government has means to stop people from flying completely
The only way is to create laws and awareness

I actually support the ban of drones as such, its too easy too access by non-pilots making the community look bad by doing mistakes that could have been easily avoided if they were actually pilots and had done their research before blindly switching it on and flying it.

Well ban wont stop non pilots
You think a letter by dgca  can stop Indians
Only awareness and rules will make sure that whoever flies it
Is aware of where and how to fly
That way everyone can fly legally

Yes , Chintal , you are right👏👏👍

Well Rathi.... there is a big study on why people make mistakes and errors... all of it is done knowingly or unknowingly....  Its a matter of choice that a guy does it something incorrect knowingly and the something goes wrong.... or a guy does something in good faith, not knowing actually how to do it and then something goes wrong....... or genuinely a guy who knows how to do it either commits a honest mistake or it just so happens... All the three are either errors or mistakes.  The first one is a foolhardy fella.... and then the last one is a knowledgeable guy.

We need to get in the last type of people and not the first kind of people or the second kind as stated.

Awareness, regulations and laws are what are required to get people to do the right thing....

The DGCA might get in the interim regulations ASAP which can be in force till the final thing comes out.

Awareness is key. I think the reason why measures weren't taken on time is because drones exploded into the trend so quickly the govt didn't realise their threats until some serious events took place and america tried to ban it(mainly because america tried to ban it). I agree that DGCA has to act fast too. They have had the same rule for nearly a year now and banning drone import is the first time they have tried to do something about the situation.
I like this ban because then the people would put pressure on the DGCA to release their regulations faster. How fast though, only they can tell. this at least tells us that the DGCA actually has a working body.
@chintal, i don't think even 2% of the total population know what DGCA is or what is its role. so i agree that it wont stop them from flying, at least it can be controlled now.
 

There is confusion regarding the issue. They say drones have been included in the "prohibited list". I am yet to come against any notification like that. The only change I noticed is to include Drones in the customs declaration form for an incoming passenger. That means it is mandatory to declare drones brought as baggage and t is possible that those items would probably be charged to duty / adjudicated and not includable in the free allowance. But even such a notification is not there (at least I have not come across).

Here is the amendment notification: http://www.cbec.gov.in/resources//htdocs-cbec/customs/cs-act/notifications/notfns-2016/cs-nt2016/csnt31-2016.pdf

This rule amends the Customs Declaration Form at http://www.cbec.gov.in/resources//htdocs-cbec/customs/cs-act/formatted-htmls/cs-bgge-declare-form1-ason19feb2014.pdf

It inserts "drone" in serial number 10, after item (ix).

So it can be seen that the "items prohibited for import" has not been changed. In the new Baggage Rules 2016 also announced in this budget, there is no mention of drone anywhere. Only thing is that if you bring a drone you have to report to the red channel and pay duty and probably a nominal fine/penalty for it.

This is for baggage of an incoming passenger only. But there is no change in respect of import of drones through cargo or by container by importers.

Those who have written the articles both in mashable and in TOI have no clear idea about what they are talking about.

And yes...nothing is there about quadcopters ;) And for import of components of drones there has been no change either. This change is probably to keep tab on foreigners bringing drones into India.

The problem is that DGCA and Customs have no coordination among themselves. So even if DGCA formulates any rule regarding flying, Customs rule won't change.

There is no description of what qualifies as a "drone" any fixed wing or rotating wing or multi-rotor craft that can be airborne can be a drone. And for the good of the hobby we modelers must strictly stop calling these drones as they connote a certain meaning. Multi-rotors, model air planes, model helis and model gliders are the terms we must use to ensure that the hobby remains an allowed, safe and pleasurable past-time. Otherwise, like in the US too the hobby may be wiped out.

Its too late to do that. All around the world its being called a drone. Even "Drone National Championships" etc. are being held. In Dubai the first world "Drone Prix" is going to be held. http://gulfnews.com/guides/going-out/outdoors/the-first-world-drone-prix-dubai-1.1684886

So in whatever name we like to call it now, everyone identifies a multicopter as a "drone"

In the news it is mentioned couple of times, flying without government's permission
So it could be possible that there could be a sort of licence that we may have to get in the future in order to fly drone
Or it could be like what faa does
Well till no accident are happening and till we are not using fpv to spy on some government's stuff it should not be a problem