D. Raghunandan

20th May 2011

Regular readers of these columns may wonder why this week we are featuring an article discussing deaths in India due to road accidents. Conventional wisdom would have placed this problem alongside other “rich peoples maladies” such as obesity, coronary heart ailments or diabetes. But just as it is now widely recognized that these ailments are today afflicting growing numbers even among lower-income groups, so too is it with fatalities in road accidents, even though reasons are quite different and the analogy cannot be stretched too far. India has the highest number of road traffic fatalities in the world, with one road accident every minute and one fatality every four minutes. Not only are the numbers dying in road accidents in India alarmingly large, but increasing numbers of fatalities are from lower-income groups.

Not that road fatalities are peculiar to India. They are in fact a world wide phenomenon, causing widespread concern, due to which the United Nations has declared the coming decade to be the "Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011–2020." The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that road traffic fatalities will go up from being the 9th leading cause of death globally (and 10th in the South East Asian region including India) in 2004 to 5th position by 2030. Almost 1.3 million people die around the world from road traffic crashes each year and between 20 million and 50 million more are injured. And more than 90 per cent of fatalities occur in low- and middle-income countries, which have less than half of the world’s vehicles.

If one takes into account not just deaths but injuries, related economic losses and losses due to damage to vehicles, these are large enough to seriously threaten development in many countries of the South. Global losses due to road traffic accidents are estimated at around $518 billion and cost Governments between 1 and 3 per cent of their gross national product. An estimate by the Planning Commission puts the figure for India at 3 percent, more than she spends on education or health. Affected families often have to bear huge burdens due to loss of life or serious injury to wage-earners, medical and rehabilitation costs.

But the extent of the problem in India, the categories of people affected, and many of the reasons behind this modern epidemic, certainly marks India out as an especially bad case. But while the problem in India is more acute than in most countries, and getting worse by the day, it is mostly ignored by the government and sadly by the public too. Everyone seems to view road fatalities as a simple “fact of life,” a perception aided by the very word “accident,” some-thing that happens by chance. In fact, most “accidents” are nothing of the kind, they are caused by someone or something, and in India they are further reflective of deeper maladies of governance and its role in regulating social behaviour.

Fatalities in India: A status document currently under preparation by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), as part of its work relating to the UN Decade, states that 1.6 lakh people were killed in road accidents in India last year, up sharply from 2009 when 1.25 lakh fatalities occurred. That is a shocking increase of 28 percent in one year!

Road injuries are now among the top 3 causes of death for those in the 5-44 age group, compared to 5th place worldwide, and among the top 10 causes of death among children in the 0-4 age bracket comparable to countries with much higher vehicular densities.

If we compare statistics from some countries, we can see how bad India’s record is. In doing so, we should note that road traffic data from different countries often represent different things. For instance, in Western countries, comparisons are usually made in deaths per vehicle-kilometre. However such figures are not available for most developing countries and in fact can also be misleading because, for example, the US has the highest vehicle-kilometres traveled but these tend to be largely on the safest dual-carriage highways or freeways. So in order to avoid comparing apples with oranges, let us consider the number of road deaths per capita or rather per lakh population and, simultaneously so as to get an idea of proportion, let us also compare number of vehicles per capita. (see Table)

The table shows that whereas, apparently India does not appear in an unfavourable light compared with other major economies in terms of deaths per lakh population, India has proportionately about 1/50th of the number of vehicles per capita as Germany or 1/10th that of China. In other words, if the number of vehicles per capita were to increase in India to, say, the level of China, the fatalities in India would be 10 times higher. And the rapid increase in the number of road fatalities seems to match the sharp growth in vehicle ownership in shining India.

Country           No. of Vehicles                 No. of Road Deaths 

per capita                          per 100,000 persons

USA                      779                                       12.3
Germany              558                                         4.5
China                    128                                      16.5
Brazil                     156                                      18.3

India                        12                                       16.8

Let us look at some other related and revealing trends in India as revealed in the MoRTH Report on Road Accidents in India 2009.

Around 13 percent of the road traffic deaths in India are pedestrians, 4.5 percent are bicycle riders, 20 percent are two-wheeler riders, 7 percent three-wheeler riders, 15 percent are people riding in passenger cars or taxis, whereas 22 percent deaths are in trucks and about 8 percent in buses. About 70 percent of the almost 100 million vehicles in India are two-wheelers, so a high involvement of two-wheelers in crashes may be no surprise. But what other figures in the MoRTH report show is that percentages of fatalities involving two-wheelers, three-wheelers and cars are lower than the percentage of road accidents involving these types of vehicles, the reverse is true for trucks, buses, and bicycles. In other words, bicycle riders are more likely to be killed in road accidents than those in motorized personal vehicles. But if deaths in trucks come as somewhat of a surprise, consider this. 53 percent of the total registered accidents in 2009 occurred in rural areas which also had more fatalities (62 percent) than urban areas (38 percent). Casualties in rural areas were also greater at 60 percent than in urban areas. Reasons can be deduced: roads in rural areas are most often single carriageway with no separation of on-coming vehicles and vehicles are unable to travel very fast in crowded cities and towns. 

Causes: All these above data should be taken to indicate broad-brush trends. But a note of extreme caution needs to be exercised with regard to MoRTH data. Not only do they reflect only accidents that are registered with the police, which usually happens only with respect to fatalities, much of the information on causes is highly dubious and are products of clearly subjective inferences at local levels since it is well known that no serious accident cause analysis is carried out by the police except in rare cases attracting public notoriety. And that brings us to the slippery slope of what concerned authorities perceive to be the major causes of road traffic accidents and fatalities, and what measures they propose to take.

Take for instance the assertion in the MoRTH report that “drivers fault” accounted for almost 80 percent of road accidents, of which around 58 percent were caused by “drivers exceeding speed limits,” about 10 percent of these resulting in deaths. There is absolutely no evidence presented as to how these figures were arrived at. However, to some extent, these data are merely truisms. As stated at the outset, there are very few genuine “accidents,” such as for instance a vehicle swerving to avoid an animal on the road and hitting another. Most “accidents” are in fact caused by one or other party doing what he should not be doing, such as driving on the wrong side of the road which must clearly be the case in head-on collisions. “Speed kills” too is a truism. A crash taking place at 70 kmph could be fatal whereas the same crash at 10 kmph would most often result in simple injuries.

A WHO study brings out that an increase of 1 kmph in speed results in a 3 percent increase in the incidence of injury crashes and a 4 to 5 percent increase in fatal crashes. A 5 percent increase in speed leads to approximately 10 percent increase in injuries and a 20 percent rise in fatalities. Pedestrians have a 90 percent chance of survival when struck by a car travelling at 3 kmph or less, but under 50 percent chance of survival if the impact is at 45 kmph, with almost no chance of survival at 80 kmph. But none of this tells us anything about why the “accident” took place in the first instance: was the car driving on the correct side of the road, did the vehicle run through a red light?

Similarly, it is true that safety devices such as the safety belts in cars and crash helmets for two-wheeler drivers and passengers can prevent fatalities or serious injuries, but they have no role to play in preventing accidents happening in the first place. Studies show that wearing a  crash helmet correctly reduces the risk of death by almost 40 percent and the risk of severe head injury by over 70 percent, and mandatory helmet laws reduce head injuries among cyclists by about 25 percent. Reducing fatalities and serious injuries are doubtless of the utmost importance, but perhaps prevention of accidents is at least if not even more important. And this is where the MoRTH Report breaks down into gibberish and shibboleths raising serious doubts about reversing the present horror story on Indian roads.

Misplaced priorities: Having attributed over 80 percent of road accidents to driver error, the MoRTH report suddenly changes tack and attributes accidents to everything else! It lists type of road users and colliding vehicles; environmental and road related factors (such as road design and geometry, intersections and other areas of traffic conflict; vehicle- related factors including non-use of protective devices; nature of traffic management; and emergency care for accident victims. Under road safety measures the authorities propose to take up, the Report presents a long wish list, but buried somewhere is one innocuous and easy to miss line about “strengthening the licensing system.” It is either sheer blindness or helplessness on the part of government to ignore the most important causes of road accidents in India: that road users in India have no clue to correct road behaviour because there is no system in place to properly train and test drivers, and because there is virtually zero enforcement on the part of traffic authorities to inculcate correct behaviour. In fact, everybody in India knows that the easiest identity document to procure is Drivers License which can be obtained easily at the cost of a photograph and a small bribe without so much as a proper test or even an appearance at one. And if there is no enforcement once a driver is on the road, improper road behaviour and rash driving get reinforced.

Indeed, in typical ostrich manner, the Report almost completely ignores these and, in fact goes out of its way to negate their importance! In its concluding sections, the Report highlights the “4 Es” of accident prevention and control the world over, namely Education, Enforcement, Engineering and Environment, and Emergency care, and then quickly dismisses the first two! It argues that disseminating road safety awareness through public campaigns are not effective as isolated measures, and does not even speak of licensing as part of this process. In the international literature, education or public safety awareness is spoken of taking a rigorous licensing system for granted, for Indian authorities it is best to not even acknowledge the issue lest one is called upon to do something about it. And on enforcement, the report only mentions clauses in relevant Acts tat deal with crash helmets and seat belts. Problems will not go away simply because you ignore them! But that is exactly what the Report does, and goes on to emphasize engineering solutions in road design and construction, and ambulance systems to get accident victims to hospital quickly. Important no doubt, but ignoring the root of the problem, namely the License to Kill. Is it surprising then that in India even an aircraft pilot’s license can be procured through fraud?

More than a hundred countries came together last week to pledge to reduce road accidents and fatalities as part of the UN Decade call. India is among the very few nations yet to even finalize a Draft of its Road Safety Plan as part of this endeavour. Are there any takers for India to achieve the ambitious target of reducing road fatalities by 50 percent by 2020?

D. Raghunandan



THE longest-duration total solar eclipse of this century occurred on July 22, 2009 with the path of totality passing through many parts of India. While many other cosmic events such as full moon, new moon and different phases of the moon are visible frequently, and even partial eclipses of the sun or moon occur quite often, the opportunity to witness a total solar eclipse is rare. At any given place on Earth, a total solar eclipse would occur only once in about 370 years on the average. Total solar eclipse was to be visible in India after 1995 and the next opportunity to view a total eclipse of similar duration will arise only in 2132.  


A total solar eclipse such as this one arises due to the simultaneous occurrence of three cosmic phenomena namely the moon in its orbital path coming in between the earth and the sun, all three being on the same plane, and the moon appearing to be the same size as the sun due to the respective distances of each from the earth at that particular time. If the moon was further away from the earth, it would appear smaller and would not cover the sun totally resulting in an “annular” eclipse or one where a thin ring of the sun is visible even as the moon covers a large part of it, something like a small coin on top of a larger one.


When a total solar eclipse occurs, the shadow of the moon falls on certain regions of earth from where the sun is totally “blocked”. Since the earth is not stationary but rotates around its own axis, the shadow of the moon moves across the face of earth on a trajectory that is called belt of totality.


The totality belt during the total solar eclipse of July 22, 2009 passed through Vadodara, Bhopal, Indore, Varanasi, Patna, Siliguri, Gangtok and Tawang before it passed over Burma, China, Japan and the Pacific Ocean. This eclipse is now considered to be most watched total solar eclipse ever, since the eclipse path passed over heavily populated regions of China and India.


And therein lies the story. In a land such as India where superstitions abound, especially about cosmic phenomena and eclipses in particular which are considered inauspicious, the very fact that millions of people came out to watch the spectacle was a triumph for science and a scientific attitude.

MILLIONS WATCH ECLIPSE


The eclipse generated huge enthusiasm in the country, and brought out people especially the youth, in huge numbers in sharp contrast to just two decades ago. During previous partial eclipses in the ‘80s and early ‘90s, streets were deserted, most people stayed indoors with all kinds of fears and apprehensions.


This time too, astrologers, soothsayers and various kinds of alarmists came out in strength warning of all kinds of harmful effects or even catastrophe. Rumours abounded that the world will come to an end, that the sun becoming “invisible” was evidence of the wrath of God, that the longest eclipse over India was a particularly bad omen. The traditional injunction that people especially pregnant women should not venture out during the eclipse was reinforced on the false scientific-sounding claim that the sun during eclipse radiates harmful rays. Some so-called experts even appeared on different TV channels to claim that cooked food would become contaminated with growth of pathogens due to the absence of sunlight during totality, that food cooked before the eclipse should be thrown away and so on, thereby reinforcing the superstition against cooking or eating during the eclipse.


Even scientists’ precautions regarding safe viewing of the eclipse were misused by some people to spread fear and superstition. Needless to say, nothing new occurs in the sun during an eclipse as compared to any other time. If food were to be spoilt or unborn foetuses to be harmed, this should happen even during cloudy days or at night!  Ophthalmologists do not say that looking at the eclipse is dangerous, they are advising that staring at the sun is harmful, even during normal days, whereas the dimming of the sun during an eclipse may tempt people to keep looking at the sun directly.


Despite all this, enthusiastic millions turned out to watch the eclipse. Even at the ghats of Varanasi, where lakhs of pilgrims had gathered for a holy dip in the Ganga during the eclipse, huge numbers could be seen enjoying the spectacle using special solar filters meant for safe viewing of the sun.


Of course, scientists especially astronomers and amateur enthusiasts turned out in large numbers. “Astro-tourists” from all over the world poured into different Indian cities and towns along the path of totality, as indeed they did into China and parts of Japan. That the eclipse took place during the International Year of Astronomy was the icing on the cake. So great was the enthusiasm around this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, that special chartered flights flying above the monsoon clouds carried passengers who had paid as much as Rs 60,000 per seat!


For scientists the eclipse provided a rare opportunity to study the sun from the earth. Despite huge advances in space-based instrumentation, total solar eclipses enable astronomers to make high-resolution observations using large and heavy equipment that can be moved to locations on the path of totality. During an eclipse, the scattered light from the sun’s corona is about 1000 times less than can be usually found for studies by coronagraphs. Studies of the sun’s corona were an important part of observations made during the eclipse of July 22. However, due to the monsoon conditions prevailing over most of India, many teams of scientists from India travelled to China for these studies.      


PSM SURYA GRAHAN UTSAVS


The People's Science Movement (PSM) through its umbrella organisation, the All India People's Science Network which affiliates more than 40 state-level PSM organisations undertook a nationwide campaign to celebrate the 2009 Total Solar Eclipse both in itself, and as part of the International Year of Astronomy. Surya Grahan Utsavs were organised in various parts of the country on the day of the eclipse. For months before the event, public campaigns had been organised to explain the phenomena of eclipses and the various mythologies associated with it. Safe viewing methods were also disseminated in the form of special solar filters, thousands of which were made and sold by PSM groups. Numerous workshops were held and grassroots activists trained in science popularisation and the people’s science perspective. Various communication forms such as lectures, films, songs and street plays were used.


As a culmination of this campaign, a three-day Surya Grahan Utsav was organised in Patna, along the path of totality and with a long totality duration. Over 650 delegates from various states of India such as Kerala, West Bengal, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Bihar, Jharkhand etc had gathered in Patna at their own cost. On July 20 and 21, in various colleges, schools and scientific institutions around Patna’s Gandhi Maidan, various parallel workshops were organised for the PSM activists and local participants, especially students. Illustrated lectures in English and Hindi were delivered by experts and resource persons on topics such as Explaining the Panchang or Almanac, Astrology and Science, the Cosmos, Eclipses, Climate Change and Landmarks in the History of Astronomy. Film shows on popular science themes including astronomy were screened. Day-time astronomy, night-sky viewing, telescope-making, solar projector making, astronomy through role play and many other hands-on activities were also organised.


The Utsav galvanised Patna and generated great enthusiasm across different sections of society. The local press, both print and audio-visual, especially FM radio stations, were eager to cover the events and spread the message of the unfolding celestial drama of the eclipse. The PSM events assumed further importance for Patna since the nearby town of Taregna, hailed as among the best viewing spots in India, had become a huge centre of national and international attention.


THE ECLIPSE


More than 25,000 people gathered at Gandhi Maidan by dawn of July 22, the day of eclipse, unmindful of the threatening monsoon skies. As it turned out, and as apprehended due to the prevailing monsoons, overcast conditions and rains did play spoilsport, not only in Patna but in most parts of India except in Varanasi and a few other locations where totality was visible.


Solar filters had been sold over the previous few days. So great was the enthusiasm among the people of Patna, that some minor scuffles even broke out in the scramble to buy what turned out to be a short supply of filters! The AIPSN also erected huge sheets with filter panels stitched into them across the Maidan to facilitate viewing of the sun by the large crowds. A large projection screen had also been erected inside a pandal for viewing live TV or webcast images of the eclipse.


The thousands of eagerly awaiting local people, including numerous families out for a memorable event, and the hundreds who had gathered in Patna from all over India unfortunately could not see the totality and the build-up to it. However, the gradually darkening of even the morning overcast sky as the eclipse commenced was greeted with applause and even a sudden downpour did not dampen the enthusiasm of the people as the time of totality approached. At the stroke of 6:24 it suddenly started getting dark and in a few minutes the dawn had turned into midnight, greeted with loud cheers by the crowds gathered in the Maidan.


Even though totality itself could not be seen, with its dramatic visuals such as the diamond ring, the daytime darkness was a new experience for who had gathered. Totality lasted about four minutes and to thunderous applause, the clouds suddenly cleared. Birds headed back to their nests, and then came out again, circling the sky in confusion. A rooster mistaking it for a second dawn, started to crow and delighted the crowds.


The entire second half of the eclipse was clearly visible and was gleefully observed by all. Many of them had never witnessed any kind of solar eclipse, so the spectacle lasting till 7:20 was a grand experience. Partially eclipsed sun appeared in crescent shape and some people mistook it to be moon! Scientists and amateur astronomers at the Maidan guided the viewers, explained phenomena and answered questions.


Remarkably, there were more people gathered at the Maidan for viewing the eclipse than at the Ganga ghats for a dip!


Reports from different parts of the country revealed similar enthusiasm. This is a long way from 1980, when a total solar eclipse occurred in India, when the main public TV played a popular movie to ensure that people did not come out, and when public transport was suspended in many cities.

No doubt, superstitions of different kinds including around cosmic events and astrology persist, and many people may still take a “purifying” bath after an eclipse. But one may indeed conclude that the fear in India surrounding a solar eclipse has largely been put to rest during the total solar eclipse of July 2009. Conquering of this fear and people opening their minds to scientific curiosity and rational inquiry has undoubtedly been a major development.


This has not happened by chance or even through normal processes of modernisation or secularisation, but has come about through the concerted efforts of numerous science popularisers, scientific institutions and agencies, and sections of the media over the past two to three decades. Whereas the total solar eclipse of 1995 can be considered as a breakthrough event, the July 2009 eclipse will undoubtedly be recognised as a watershed. In these endeavours, the Peoples Science Movement has played a very significant role.

Near miss at Mumbai airport: accidents waiting to happen  

D. Raghunandan

11^th June 2009 

A potentially horrendous disaster was somehow averted at Mumbai airport on May 31. Two aircraft with close to 250 passengers and crew on board simultaneously tried to take off from Mumbai’s two intersecting runways and would have collided with each other but for last minute action by both pilots and Air Traffic Control (ATC) to abort the take-offs. As is customary in such cases, an inquiry is being conducted by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) while the pilots and the air traffic controllers involved have been taken off duty pending the investigation.  No firm conclusions can therefore yet be drawn as to causes. But again as usually happens in India leaks and rumours are flying thick and fast, obscuring the truth and building up a smokescreen behind which everyone, and thus no one in particular, is to blame. Yet there are already a number of indicators pointing to structural problems in Indian civil aviation safety with many factors contributing to accidents just waiting to happen.      

The near collision              In aviation parlance, a “near miss” is an “unplanned event that did not result in casualties or damage”. Many experts however believe that the term “near collision” is a more useful term since it better captures the reality that an accident almost occurred, rather than appearing to somewhat contradictorily suggest, as “near miss” does, that an accident was almost avoided. In any case, the point is that near collisions are always closely studied worldwide because fortunately, they happen hundreds or thousands more often than actual accidents and, at no cost, they provide invaluable lessons about what could go wrong, how and why, and what corrective steps need to be taken to prevent future such occurrences especially at the systemic level of safety procedures and institutional safeguards.  The near collision in Mumbai occurred when Air India’s Airbus 310 flight 348 to Delhi was speeding down one runway (Runway 9-27) prior to take-off, while simultaneously Jet Airways Boeing 737 9W-651 to Kolkata was similarly building up speed for take-off on the other intersecting runway (Runway 14-32). IC-348 was traveling at 70-80 knots (127-145 kmph), whereas the Jet craft was traveling at 90-100 knots (164-182 kmph), dangerously close to the “decision speed” (beyond which aborting take-offs could cause a crash) of 129 knots for B-737. Fortunately, ATC noticed the Air India plane rolling and directed the pilot to abort take-off, and the Jet pilot managed to do the same, apparently on his own initiative. How both aircraft were rolling to take-off at the same time, what instructions did they receive from ATC and when, and how exactly was the accident avoided, are precisely the subjects of the mandatory investigations now on.           

Ambiguous communication        Pilots of both the aircraft insist they had received clearance for take-off from ATC. If this is found to be true from examination of the radio-communication recordings, which surely should have become available and been fully transcribed by now, then the controllers in question have a lot to answer for. Equally, ATC could not knowingly have cleared two aircraft for take-off simultaneously on intersecting runways. Clearly some miscommunication had occurred, either by the ATC or by one or both of the pilots in understanding instructions received from ATC. ATC spokesmen said take-off clearance had been given only to the Jet flight, not to the Air India flight and that, when the latter was noticed traveling down the runway, it was ordered to stop. A General Manager of the Airport responsible for air traffic and other air-side operations reiterated this position.  But a spokesman for Air India insisted that ATC had given its pilot clear instructions: “AI 348 cleared for take off, Runway 27”.  However, according to some press reports, the spokesman also stated that “the AI flight was cleared for take-off and after that the pilots were asked to hold.”  If so, this would be astonishing indeed for, once “take-off” is “cleared”, there is no question of telling the aircraft to “hold” or wait anywhere! If the controller’s intention was to tell the Air India plane to taxi to Runway 27, hold and be ready for take-off, then the instruction should not have used the words “cleared” or “take-off” but “ready”, “hold” and “departure” instead. Further, whatever instructions were issued by ATC, these would have immediately been repeated verbatim to ATC by the pilot as per standard operating procedure to confirm the instructions eg “Roger, Control, AI-348 cleared and ready for take-off, Runway 27,” which would have given ATC another chance to realize the error and stop the aircraft from rolling.  The cockpit voice recordings should clear up what instructions were issued and acknowledged. It is surprising indeed that, more than 10 days after the incident, doubts on this score have been allowed to linger despite DGCA having said that the inquiry would be completed in a “couple of days”.   Air traffic control procedures are designed to obviate misunderstandings. Given differences in nationality, language, idiomatic usage, accents etc, standard and unambiguous terminology in English has been approved by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and is used by controllers and pilots worldwide.  In one of the worst air accidents ever, two Boeing 747 Jumbo jets collided on the runway at Tenerife airport on a Spanish island in 1977 killing over 600 passengers and crew, when one of the aircraft was “cleared for take-off” by ATC who actually meant to tell the pilot to wait for further instructions! Since Tenerife, the word “take-off” is never used except when actually setting the aircraft rolling on the runway. Similarly the words “cleared” and “approved” are never used except to signal go-ahead for final actions. In another near-miss, a pilot who was told to taxi and hold “short of the runway” could not understand the idiomatic English and thought he was being told to “cross the runway” and almost did! With pilots of different nationalities flying aircraft all over the world, including on aircraft under wet-lease with foreign pilots flying on domestic routes, there is even greater need to ensure precise unambiguous communication.    

Under-staffed, under-trained, overworked ATCOs   Unfortunately, incidents involving air traffic control are becoming more common not only because of increasing air traffic, especially in India with over 20 percent growth per year, but also due to a critical shortage of well-trained air traffic controllers (ATCOs). This is a worldwide phenomenon, but India is among the worst afflicted, with several additional structural problems at the heart of aviation safety and civil aviation infrastructure and institutions. Almost the entire emphasis of government in the past decade or more under both the NDA and UPA dispensations has been on privatization of airlines and airports, and on deregulation of civilian aviation in general. As a result, air traffic has expanded exponentially, but air traffic infrastructure and safety measures have not kept pace, and scant attention has been paid to these by government authorities. Delhi and Mumbai airports are both now under private management with foreign collaboration, an idea pushed through by the UPA government in the face of stiff opposition by Left parties, Airports Authority staff and many aviation experts all of whom argued that privatization of terminal and city-side operations would not add any value to airport operations whose main problems lay in poor air-side infrastructure and air-traffic management.  Today, both these airports handle more than 700 flights daily, but with barely 100 ATCOs each. In India as a whole, there are about 1000 ATCOs compared to an estimated requirement of 2500, and the recruitment pipeline is too thin to meet demand. ATCOs are recruited directly by AAI through examinations and interviews, and then sent for a year-long training programme in the single training institute in Allahabad that can handle only about 30 trainees in each batch. Another training academy planned in Hyderabad is yet to start work. Unlike many other countries, India does not have a system of licensing ATCOs as prevails with pilots, which could have increased the available pool. And the quality of training too, with few refresher courses, leaves much to be desired.  In most advanced countries, and in several developing nations, ATCOs are considered a special type of air service provider like pilots, due to the unique and important roles and responsibilities of both, with distinct working conditions and remuneration patterns. The International Labour Organization (ILO) holds that “ATCOs... have problems which are unique to their profession, and their concern with safety could broadly be compared with that of pilots.” In fact in many European countries, ATCOs operate under an entirely separate organization as in the UK’s National Air Traffic Service. Not so in India where ATCOs are just another set of AAI employees.  The problem of inadequate numbers of ATCOs, the managerial preference for paying overtime even at the cost of ATCO fatigue rather than bear the costs of recruiting and training additional ATCOs is undoubtedly a worldwide phenomenon. But it has assumed enormous proportions in India threatening to overwhelm the entire system.  

Infrastructure & Institutional Reform    Added to this is the problem of inadequate infrastructure and delays in or failure to upgrade technologies. Air Surface Movement Ground Control Systems should have been procured and installed at all major airports but are currently available only in Delhi and Mumbai, with fog-prone Kolkata having been sanctioned one after a near collision in January this year involving an aircraft aborting landing a mere 300 feet above ground after spotting a cargo plane on the runway! It is another matter that even with this system in place the Mumbai ATC did not notice both aircraft moving towards the intersection point last month! While the AAI is starved of funds and approvals are delayed, the Civilian Aviation Ministry is mostly busy with supporting private airport operators and addressing their concerns on building convention centres and shopping malls to increase their profitability!  Justice Lahoti heading the Inquiry Commission into the mid-air collision over Charkhi-Dadri near Delhi in November 1996 killing over 550 people observed that “the workload of [the] Controller was definitely excessive…” He also observed that “the Indian Govt adopted open sky policy but the same has… resulted in… tremendous increase in air traffic without matching additions to ATC infrastructure… For proper growth of civil aviation in the country, the ATC has to be given a special place in the scheme of things or else [our] country will continue to lag behind.”  It is ironic that these conclusions should have been reached by an essentially lay person whereas civil aviation authorities have continued to ignore what stares everyone in the face. Recognizing the special function of ATCOs, the ILO recommends that “trade unions and/or the appropriate organisation concerned should be consulted” on all issues relating to ATCOs working conditions and remuneration. In contrast in India the AAI, Government and regrettably even the Courts, have refused to recognize or deal with the ATCOs Guild and have put down every attempt at collective bargaining with an iron hand. Perhaps they are following the example of former US President Ronald Reagan who cemented his reputation as a right-wing conservative by crushing the ATC Unions’ strike early on in his Presidency. Not just the ATC but the entire system of air traffic management in India is crying out for major reforms and vastly improved infrastructure. Without such an overhaul, air safety in India will continue to suffer at high cost to airlines, passengers and the country’s reputation. Two other major institutional reforms are urgently required.  

Independent Safety & Regulatory Agencies             An independent Regulatory Authority for civilian aviation has been a long-standing demand, keeping in mind the experience of other countries. The US which actually de-regulated civil aviation during the Reagan years, is now living with the consequences of the collapse of many airlines, proliferation of fly-by-night operators and heightened problems of air safety. In India too, the pro-liberalization powers-that-be have resisted calls to set up an independent Regulator to look into routes, fares, flying conditions and so on, and have left it to the DGCA to perform this function too. DGCA already acts as the authority for licensing of airlines and pilots, type certification of aircraft and oversight of air safety.  On top of it all, DGCA is also tasked with conducting accident investigations! There is clearly a clash of interests involved here since DGCA signs off on aircraft maintenance and repairs, oversees air services, advises AAI on safety issues and also reports to the Minister of Civil Aviation. How then can one reasonably expect it to conduct accident or near-miss investigations properly, identify responsibility, and also make systemic recommendations which could go against or put pressure on any of its “client” organizations?  We still do not know who was responsible for the near-miss in Mumbai involving the President’s helicopter fleet in February this year. Initial investigations pointed to “negligence”, by who is not clear, and a final report is not yet available. In fact, 70 cases of airfield accidents all over India are pending with the DGCA since 2007. As in most cases with DGCA, interim reports have been announced but final reports and follow-up on recommendations are rare. It is high time an independent Air Safety Agency is created in India. The US has the National Transportation Safety Board besides the Federal Aviation Authority, and similar organizations exist in Canada, Australia, France, the UK and most European countries, precisely in order to avoid conflict of interest between bodies responsible for implementation and those called upon to investigate and recommend procedural or legislative changes. These safety agencies abroad have responsibilities spanning air, sea and land. It is too much to expect such cross-cutting of jurisdictions in India but a separate air safety authority is certainly feasible and eminently desirable. A veteran international ATCO (not from India) lamented that although detailed and meaningful recommendations have repeatedly been made "it always takes an accident for things to change." In India, regrettably, not even accidents or near-accidents seem to change things.