60 pilots, 150 cabin crew failed breathalyzer test
Darpan News Desk IANS, 21 Jul, 2022 12:44 PM
New Delhi, July 21 (IANS) A total of 60 pilots and 150 cabin crew members tested positive following the breath alyzer (BA) test in the last two and a half years. Breathalyzer tests are conducted to ensure aviation safety is not compromised due to the consumption of alcohol by pilots and cabin crews.
During the period from January 1, 2020 to June 30, 2022, as per the provision of Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) Section-5, Series-F, Part-III, no license has been cancelled. However, a total of 210 pilots and crew members have been suspended.
According to a Parliament reply on Thursday, there is a systematic safety oversight process in place for monitoring the compliance of Rules and Civil Aviation Requirements by the airlines. "This is a continuing process and includes surveillance, spot checks and regulatory audits embodied in Annual Surveillance Plan (ASP) of DGCA. The findings of safety oversight exercises are followed up with the concerned operator for compliance and the observations are closed only after due verification," said the reply.
The compliance of the action taken by the operator is verified during the next audit and surveillance. In case of any violations or non-compliance to regulations detected during audit and surveillance, enforcement action including financial penalty is imposed by the DGCA.
DGCA in its guidelines had earlier said that airlines must ensure that 50 per cent of their cockpit and cabin-crew members are subjected to preflight alcohol tests on a daily basis.
As per DGCA advisory, even 12 hours after a bout of drink, when blood alcohol level remained zero, there could be a decrease in performance. "Alcohol present in body even in small quantities jeopardizes flight safety on several counts and is likely to adversely affect an aviator well into the hangover period.
Police sources said that the accident took place at Khandli in Rajouri, when a bus coming from Peeri to Rajouri collided with a tipper coming from the opposite direction.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Usha Rangnani, said a PCR call was received at 6.15 a.m. on Wednesday at the Mahendra Park police station, in which the caller, Shiv Kumar, reported shattering of window panes of vehicles by some Muslim boys.
Addressing a gathering here to hand over appointment letters to 2,373 youths after launching a massive recruitment drive to fill 26,754 posts, he wished that such functions - to give appointment letters to the youths - should be held regularly.
As many as 60 members of search teams carried out the extensive search on Tuesday in some 40 km in which a shocking fact came to the fore that in order to distill the illicit liquor from 'lahan', the water used was the one which came from the sewage of industrial units of Ludhiana city.
The case will come up for final hearing on July 5 after the summer break. Additional Solicitor General Satya Pal Jain refuted the allegations of illegal detention and said not even a single officer was detained.
