New Delhi: The Aviation Ministry announced a scheme on Monday asking operators to voluntarily register their drones by January 31.  The Ministry said that those who fail to register will face action under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Aircraft Act.

The Ministry said in a notification, “The presence of such drones as well as drone operators has come to the notice of the Government which do not comply with the CAR (Civil Aviation Requirements). In order to facilitate the identification of civil drones and drone operators, a one-time opportunity for voluntary disclosure of such drones and drone operators is being provided… All persons in possession of drones are required to complete the process (of online registration) by January 31, 2020.”

This notification comes days after top Iranian Commander General Qassem Soleimani was killed in a US drone attack. He was leaving the Baghdad Airport when the US Military fired missiles, killing him on Jan. 3.

A senior Indian Government official said that the attack “precipitated the Government to take action to regulate hundreds of non-compliant drones” that are operating in the country. “What happened at Gatwick Airport in December 2018 was already there on our mind,” the official said.

The number of illegal drones in India is likely to be between 50,000 and 60,000, Co-Chair of a FICCI Committee on Drones, Ankit Mehta, had said on October 22 last year.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on August 27, 2018, had issued the CAR to regulate the use of civilian drones in the Indian airspace.

Under these regulations, a process has been prescribed for drone operators to obtain Unique Identification Number (UIN), Unmanned Aircraft Operator Permit (UAOP) and other permissions.

Called the “No Permission-No Take Off” regulation, a drone operator has to use the DGCA’s software programme DigiSky to obtain valid permissions before operating drones in India.

In the notice issued on Monday, the Ministry said, “On successful submission of voluntary disclosure of possessing drone, a Drone Acknowledgement Number (DAN) and an Ownership Acknowledgement Number (OAN) will be issued online which will help in validation of operation of drones in India.”

However, the DAN and the OAN do not confer any right to operate drones in India if it does not fulfil the DGCA’s drone regulations, the Ministry clarified.