How to kill mosquitoes on an airplane?

Low cost-carrier IndiGo and aviation authorities are facing a peculiar problem - how to kill mosquitoes on a plane. IndiGo has moved the National Green Tribunal (NGT) against its blanket ban on spraying disinfectants in a flight when people are on board. This ban is what the airline claims to have stopped the flight crew from taking measures to deal with the insects on board.

Recently, around 900 Indigo passengers complained about pests bothering during flights. Some of them went the extra mile and lodged cases with the consumer forum against the company, as per a report by the Economic Times.

The Tribunal had directed the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) back in August 2015 to ensure that no disinfectant fumigation is done in the airplane if any person is present in it. IndiGo requested DGCA to modify this NGT ruling in light of the complaints by its customers.

History of spray ban

NGT passed the decision prohibiting spraying disinfectants after hearing a plea by a United States-based neurologist Dr Jain Kumar. He is working as director with the Primary Stroke Centre at Baylor Hospital in Texas.
Kumar had argued that insecticides and pesticides contain phenothrin, an organo-phosphorous neurotoxin which can cause cancer and lead to auto-immune diseases like Parkinson's disease and amnesia, the report said. Phenothrin is used to kill flea and ticks and can be found even in products to cure head lice in humans.

IndiGo's side of argument

Represented by senior advocate Pinaki Mishra, IndiGo asserted in its plea that cases of dengue and malaria have increased with monsoon around the corner and they cannot take measures to protect their passengers.
Following the IndiGo plea, NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar issued notices to Ministry of Civil Aviation, DGCA and the original petitioner that advocated the ban, Dr Kumar. The plea will be next heard on June 2.

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