Prevent highly intoxicated travellers from boarding aircraft, install CCTV cameras: DCW tells DGCA

Prevent highly intoxicated travellers from boarding the aircraft limit alcohol intake instal CCTV cameras and sensitise staff about sexual harassment are part of the detailed guidelines given by DCW to the aviation regulator amid rising incidents of unruly passengers on flightsIn a letter to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation DGCA the Delhi Commission for Women said it has observed increasing incidents of disruptive and unruly passengers on flights in recent months adding such incidents are extremely unpleasant and traumatising for the passengersMedia has reported recent cases of harassment and misconduct by passengers in two flights one on November 26 2022 in which a man reportedly flashed his private part and urinated on a 70yearold woman in an Air India flight from New York to New Delhi and another on December 6 2022 in which a man again urinated on the seat of his fellow woman passenger on an Air India flight from Paris to New Delhi It has been reported that both these men were in a highly inebriated state the panel saidIt said it has taken suomoto cognizance of these incidents and issued a notice to DGCA seeking details of the action taken by them along with the guidelines issued by the regulator to airlines for tackling such casesIn response the panel was provided a copy of certain guidelines by DGCA along with a copy of the advisory issued by DGCA dated January 1 2023 to be followed by all airlinesUpon examining the guidelines and the advisory the commission has observed that these do not provide specific instructions to airlines to properly handle report and redress cases of sexual harassment of female passengers at airport or on flights Further they dont list out any steps to deal with highly intoxicated passengers it notedThe commission has drafted detailed recommendations on the amendments that should be made to the prevalent guidelines so that cases of sexual harassment and unruly behaviour are dealt with strictly on flights and in airportsAlso Read Drunk TTE allegedly urinates on womans head inside train heldThe recommendations include action against highly intoxicated persons including preventing such persons from boarding the aircraft protocols to handle such passengers on plane and severely limiting alcohol intake on flightsIt has also proposed action against persons indulging in sexual harassment on flights These include registration of FIR against the offender setting up an independent committee to probe the complaints of sexual harassment from passengers headed by a retired woman judge increasing punishment against such passengers including increasing time period for which they can be put on nofly list from six months to two years sensitising airline staff and setting up protocols for using restraining devices on passengers indulging in sexual harassment in case all other means of stopping him on flights failThe panel also noted that the crime of sexual harassment is simply treated as an unruly behaviour by the DGCA guidelinesThis is unacceptable as it belittles the trauma faced by sexual harassment survivors and prevents proper handling of such cases it saidThe commission has therefore recommended creation of separate category for crimes of sexual harassmentIn the guidelines it has also proposed setting up mechanisms to raise an alarm on flights CCTVs to be installed in aircraft and announcements and brochures against sexual harassment in flightsThe commission has also proposed stronger action to be taken against airline and crew members for failure to implement a zerotolerance policy on sexual harassmentIt has also sought greater accountability from airlines and DGCA in this regard and has recommended that a monthly report should be shared by DGCA with the Ministry of Civil Aviation on the sexual harassment cases reported on flights and in airports as well as action taken against themThe Delhi Commission for Women has sought an actiontaken report in the matter within 30 daysThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever