Bhushan's exit as DGCA: Capa says India's global image will take a beating

The summary sacking of director general of civil aviation (DGCA) Bharat Bhushan without providing any reason will have a negative impact on the country's international image at a time when global sentiment on the India story, particularly on governance issues, is already declining, according to civil aviation think tank Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (Capa).

Bhushan has now been shunted out of the civil aviation ministry and posted as additional secretary in the steel ministry. According to a Capa statement issued on Friday, "The timing and manner of his removal with no reason offered is extremely unfortunate... and is reflective of a poor overall approach to managing the civil aviation sector."

Capa has in the past been critical of some DGCA actions particularly the manner in which the findings of an audit report about safety issues were played out in the media in January. Besides, the regulator's micro-intervention on matters such as peak season pricing and airlines being allowed to charge for exit row seats or for a second baggage had diverted attention from more fundamental issues, Capa had said.

"But Mr. Bhushan also deserves great credit for the manner in which he has attempted to clean up the internal operations of the DGCA. His response to the fake pilots scandal, backed up by quick and meaningful action, is to be commended," Capa stated.

"However, since then, there have been a number of changes in key positions in the (civil aviation) ministry and the momentum was lost," the statement adds. Over the last two years, Capa has consistently stated on relevant safety forums that there is a need for a comprehensive risk assessment across the entire industry, not a piecemeal approach. Capa projects that the country's total airport passenger traffic could increase from approximately 160 million in 2011 to 450 million by 2020 making India the third-largest aviation market in the world behind the US and China. "But if this is to occur, and to occur safely, the establishment of a strong and independent regulator is essential," Capa observes.

Firstly, the ambit of the DGCA should be redefined to focus solely on safety; it should be unburdened from the current broad range of responsibilities that also encompass commercial matters, which distract from the core mission, Capa says.

"Safety is a matter in which politics has no place. If India is to achieve its safety objectives, technical regulation, the aviation sector must be independent, transparent and skilled. There must be a common purpose between the ministry and the DGCA, which has not always been the case, creating an environment which facilitates collaboration with industry."

Capa believes that the position of director general should be held by a technocrat, not a bureaucrat. "Tenures of three to five years will provide greater stability rather than the more frequent turnover that we have seen in recent times. In several instances, including Mr. Bhushan, the director general held the position as an additional charge limiting the attention which they could provide to the role."Courtesy: Mail Today