REGULATION OF DRONES IN INDIA
A drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or simply an aircraft without a human aboard. For the very first time in history, a device like a drone was used in 1849. On 22 August 1849, Austria launched a pilotless balloon bomb attack against Venice, when the people were busy celebrating their famous carnival – Festa Della Madonna Della Salute, on the streets. Fortunately, due to a sudden turn of winds, these balloon bombers were swayed away from the densely populated area and the people enjoyed a very narrow escape. The first pilotless aircraft was used in World War I by the US Army which is known as ‘Kettering Bugs’. It laid down the foundation for the military drone programs as we know them today.
This technology has evolved over the centuries and is now known as drones. The Drone Industry is expected to have a market of $100 billion globally by 2020. This industry took an upsurge in 2013 when Amazon announced that it would use drones for making deliveries. Globally, drones are being extensively used in a wide array of industries such as agriculture, forestry, surveying, infrastructure inspection, mining, entertainment, etc. With an industry that is growing so rapidly, there comes a wide foray of problems in regulating their usage through law. Many countries have distinct, well-defined laws but many are still struggling with it because it is a real challenge to control a device that is unmanned, easily manufactured and significantly low cost.
